What I Eat in a Day in Italy ~ (Healthy, Realistic)

I decided to create a post about What I Eat in Day in Italy because people wrongly assume that a full of day of meals in Italy consists of three course lunches and dinners, several plates of baked pasta, and hours spent preparing food. That is simply not true, or better: it’s not the reality for a large part of the population, and it’s more of a stereotype that you may be able to witness in the house of some really old person or during a special occasion or a family lunch.

Growing up in Italy, that has never been my reality. My family has always put an emphasis on simple dishes and ever since I started living on my own, I made eating healthy even more of a commitment as I firmly believe that that is the best way to take care of your self.

Please leave a comment letting me know if you like this format and what you’d like to know more of. I am excited to start a series of “What I Eat in Day” posts that can inspire you to eat healthy and add lots of veggies into your meals!

Like all the food you’ll find on my blog, my meals are always gluten free and dairy free, and all of my dessert ideas avoid refined sugar. Also, I heavily rely on plants (this “What I Eat in a Day in Italy” for example is completely plant-based) and while I am not vegan, I limit my consumption of animal products as much as possible and make sure they come from humanely raised sources.

1. Breakfast

Breakfast Food:

I diced 2 organic apricots and ½ an organic apple, topped them with 4 or 5 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut yogurt, a handful of puffed millet, 3 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds and 1 teaspoon of raw cacao.
This breakfast is very fast and simple to put together and very healthy for you as well. Of course, when you start mixing all the ingredients together it doesn’t look as pretty but it’s just as delicious!

Breakfast Drinks:

My day always starts with a big glass of water with a half a lemon squeezed in it. Then, right after I am done with breakfast, one thing I always prepare every single morning, regardless what day of the week or month it is, is a big pot of green tea. I keep it right next to me while I work and I fill 3 cups of tea within the next two hours of my morning. I only use one teabag of green tea for the whole pot.

I never drink green tea on an empty stomach as it makes me feel horrible: headache, nausea… not a good idea.

2. Mid-Morning Snack

I don’t really have the habit of snacking before lunch, but when I do, I love snacking on raw pumpkin seeds while I am working. They are really tasty and full of antioxidants, zinc and other essential nutrients such as iron, selenium and calcium. Lastly, pumpkin seeds contain 19 gr of protein per 100 gr.

3. Lunch:

Main:

I always make sure my lunch is filled with vegetables. Today’s plate is full of plants cooked in a different way. I have some pan fried “trombetta zucchini”, some baked Swiss chards and a veggie patty made with quinoa, yellow pea, carrots, leeks and ginger.

These burgers are one of the very few things I buy already made as they have clean ingredients are free from gluten, dairy, flavorings and preservatives. One of these burgers contains 7 gr of proteins and it’s nice to have healthy food ready to eat sometimes!

Dessert:

I always like to end a meal on a sweet note. Simply by throwing together some berries (now that cherries are in season here in Italy, I love to go for them), 90 or 95% dark chocolate, dried fruit and nuts you can create a delicious, healthy treat.

In particular, I love to take an organic dried apricot and stuff it with a Brazil nut! This little combo tastes better than a cookie and is a real powerhouse of potassium and selenium. My functional medicine doctor actually prescribed these foods to me instead of giving me supplements. Could it get more “food-as-medicine” than that?

One more thing. Brazil nuts are also rich in plant based proteins (14 gr per 100 gr of procuct)

4. Mid-Afternoon Snack

In the last few months, to boost my vitamin C intake, I have been consuming fresh citrus juice every day. I squeeze one orange together with half a lemon, add a tablespoon of pure ginger juice to it and fill the cup with water. It’s delicious!

5. Dinner:

Main:

Most of the times, Alec and I combine some of the leftover food we have from lunch and through together a quick meal so that we can be done quickly and go on a long walk in the fields after dinner. These days are incredibly long, it gets dark at 10 pm and it’s so nice to go out at this time of the day since the temperature cools down a lot.

When we are in the mood for something a bit more indulgent, I like to throw together a risotto. Our two favorites are Pumpkin Risotto (in Italy you always make that with Kabocha squash) or Mushroom risotto. It takes me about 25 minutes to make, but while I look after it we chat while Alec enjoys a glass of wine and time flies by.

Dessert:

Last but not least, I could’t end my post about what I eat in a day in Italy without a little post dinner treat. Now that apricots and peaches are in season I love to enjoy some every day. For dessert, I made myself a little bowl with a diced peach and a couple apricots (the ones I get are quite small because I get them from an organic farm). I topped them with some unsweetened coconut yogurt (not only is this one of my favorite ingredients in the kitchen, but it’s also great for you as it’s filled with probiotics).

And because lately I have been been obsessed with making my own granola, I topped my bowl with some of my seed and chocolate granola which is seriously addicting.

Did I forget anything? Is there something else you want me to cover in the next post? Let me know in a comment below! I hope you enjoyed this post and that it gave you a nice glimpse on what I eat in a day in Italy!

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Lots of love from Italy and ciao!

Ambra