Pasta, and sauces and cheese ... oh my! Italian food -- while incredibly yummy -- isn't exactly known for the health factor. But just like you can find healthy choices while eating at Chinese restaurants and Mexican restaurants, dinner at an Italian restaurant doesn't need to derail your healthy eating goals.

Though heavier fare like pasta might come to mind when you think Italian, true Italian food actually has many healthy options. Some things to look for:

• Skip the breadsticks. Yes, they're tasty, but do you really want to eat so many calories in just breadsticks? Wait for your main course.
• Very vinaigrette. Choose a light vinaigrette for your salad instead of a creamy dressing.
  
• Super soups. Both Minestrone and Pasta e Fagioli are light and delicious options.
• Veg it up. Look for dishes that are heavy in vegetables. Many Italian dishes include roasted vegetables.
• Go grilled. Avoid breaded items like chicken parmesan or fried items like calamari. Instead, opt for grilled chicken or seafood.
• Pass on the pasta. Choose a small side dish of pasta if you'd like, but avoid the main courses that are primarily pasta.
  
• See red. Opt for marinara sauce instead of cheesy, buttery or cream-based sauces.
• Thin is in. If you're ordering pizza, choose a thin crust and all vegetable toppings.
• Have dessert at home. Tiramisu is wonderful, but it's best to save high-calorie treats like that for rare occasions. Instead of ordering dessert at the restaurant, consider having a light and healthful dessert waiting for you at home. (For example, a small piece of angel food cake topped with mixed berries.)

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Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis knows her way around a kitchen -- especially when she's cooking up one of her tempting Italian dishes. But how does she stay as slim as she is when she's eating pasta and other not-so-light foods?

De Laurentiis says: "Food is not the enemy." In fact, she readily admits that she's addicted to chocolate and doesn't think she could give it up. De Laurentiis swears by portion control and says, "It's not food; it's how much you eat." De Laurentiis enjoys pastas and other heavier foods in small portions and makes sure she eats more greens than carbs.

De Laurentiis also believes in enjoying food. She says good quality ingredients enhance your enjoyment, and she recommends buying ingredients that are in season for maximum flavor.

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Love the rich, flavourful, fresh cuisine of Greece and Italy? Eat up! Not only is the Mediterranean diet effective and recommended by medical professionals, but a recent study shows that it protects against all major chronic diseases, according to this article from the Daily Mail.

That's a pretty bold claim, but it seems to be legit. Researchers in the UK analyzed data from 12 different studies worldwide that took place over time periods of up to 18 years and found that those who followed a Mediterranean diet closely had a significantly longer lifespan and a lower risk of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet is high in nuts, fish, whole grains, healthy fats, fresh fruits and veggies and even red wine in moderation. To find out how you can incorporate it into your diet, click here.

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. My husband and I totally disagree on the topic of pizza. He's says it's "unhealthy garbage," and I say it's not so bad. What do you think? Stacia

A. I think it can be both ... depending on how you make it. Let's just start with the main ingredients: flour, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Flour if it's white, is not perfect, but not the worst thing in the world either. Marinara sauce which is tomato based is pretty great; full of lycopenes. Cheese is high in fat which is bad, but also high in calcium which is great. So! Our dilemma is choosing the right ingredients which will make pizza more good than bad.

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If you love the worst of Italian, which is the creamy fatty white stuff...I'm going to be your new best friend. This is a recipe I discovered a really long time ago at a time when I was desperate to have some alfredo in my life...while still trying to stay slim. Often those to desires clash and crash.

Visit page 3 of my recipe section at Fitzness.com and give this dish a try. If you want to go super healthy and cut a bunch more calories, ditch the pasta all together. Usually I enjoy my almost fat free alfredo sauce over grilled chicken or steamed vegetables. That combination provides the magnificent tast of alfredo with actual nutrition. Hard to beat. Enjoy!

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Americans eat out on average four to five times per week, says a survey conducted in 2000. Once a special treat, going out to eat is now routine, which makes it more important than ever that we're careful about what we consume. Keep these guidelines in mind when enjoying your favorite cuisines.

Italian

• Don't go overboard on portions that come with the names pesto, creamy tomato, alfredo, carbonera, pancetta, sausage, pepperoni, parmigiana, stuffed, or frito -- this means fried.
• Cut down on your servings of pasta dishes stuffed with cheese, like manicotti and lasagna. Instead choose noodles with a sprinkling of cheese.
  

Chinese

• Watch out for sauces. They are generally low in fat but high in sodium or sugar. Examples are: Black bean, hoisin, oyster, plum, and sweet and sour.
• Steer away from the words fried, crispy, or golden brown. It means the food has been battered and fried. Think egg rolls, egg foo young, spring rolls, pot stickers, won tons, and sesame noodles and you'll know what I mean.
• Beware of MSG (monosodium glutamate), a flavor enhancer that may come with sensitivity issues. Ask for your food to be prepared without this additive.
  

Japanese

• Minimize your sodium intake by passing on some of these: Miso, soy sauce, and teriaki. Try balancing these items with a lot of fruits, veggies, and water.
• Be mindful of the amount of cream cheese, avocado, and fried foods that are packed into your sushi rolls.
  

Mexican

• Choose your sides wisely. Most Mexican meals automatically come with chips, beans, rice, and tortillas. Forgo some and pick only what you really love.
• Order a side salad instead of either rice or beans for added nutrition and fiber.
• Take black or pinto beans over the refried variety -- these are higher in fat and some restaurants still use lard when preparing them.
• Use salsa and pico de gallo -- they are loaded with nutrients -- to add flavor without adding fat.
  

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The Mediterranean diet has been shown to promote longer, healthier lives. One of the key components of this diet is virgin olive oil, which by itself has been linked to a host of cardiovascular benefits.

That is, of course, if your olive oil truly is a virgin.

Sure, there's plenty of room for a lame Popeye joke to be told here, but I think the facts in this matter are far more interesting. According to the Italian Agricultural Ministry, 205 of the 757 olive oil producers in their country sold or were caught trying to sell fake virgin olive oil.

To pull of this dastardly deed, the producers tried to pass off colored canola oil as olive oil. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that pesky ... oh wait, wrong cartoon.

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The cardiovascular benefits of drinking red wine have been known for quite some time. Reveratrol, found in grape seeds and skin, has been shown to improve HDL (good) cholesterol and prevent blood clotting, just as flavonoids, antioxidants of which wine grapes are plentiful, have been linked to a reduction in blood clots and plaque formation in arteries. This is all great news for your heart, something that should make you smile.

Fortunately, wine has also been shown in an Italian study to protect your teeth by eliminating the bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities. This effect is not limited to red wine, as white wine was found to be just as effective in warding off these bacteria.

And not to worry, wine won't stain your teeth (especially white wine). A little rinsing with water after you imbibe is all it takes to make your teeth pearly white again.

As if there aren't enough diet pills available already, Italian scientists have developed a new pill that expands to make you feel full for an extended period of time. Yeah, that sounds safe.

Anyway, when you take this pill -- which is made from cellulose, a plant compound that can absorb large amounts of water -- with 8 glasses of water and 30 minutes before a meal, the pill grows into a gelatinous ball (about the size of a tennis ball) that leaves you feeling full for up to 8 hours.

Again I say, yeah ... that sounds safe.

The craziest part of this is that once this pill is available in the U.S. (which should be in 2010), I'm sure it will fly off the shelves. Haven't people learned from Fen Phen and other diet products that they are dangerous and, in even more cases, not worth spending even a red cent of your hard-earned money on? I know it may seem like the more difficult and less glamorous option, but proper diet and regular exercise is the only way to lose weight safely and effectively.

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Italian is one of my favourite cuisines. In fact, I have yet to come across a pasta dish the I didn't like. And thought I tend to favour smaller, independent restaurants, I must admit that the Olive Garden never disappoints.But I know better than to indulge in it too often -- too much pasta, cheese and tiramisu makes my jeans too tight.

And I'm not surprised, after reading this article on calorie counts in some favourite Italian dishes from the Olive Garden and Romano's Macaroni Grill. You'd be surprised at how many dishes have over 1000 calories. In a single meal. Considering that 1500 calories is the daily recommended intake for a normal-sized woman, that's pretty darn frightening. Don't you think?

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Back in September That's Fit first mentioned the controversial Italian advertising campaign featuring a 68 pound anorexic model, and now it's making headlines again: almost all (there's only 1 left in Rome) of the images have been pulled due to claims that they don't follow Italian advertising code of conduct standards. The photographer, Oliviero Toscani, is calling the move "censorship" and says he's considering legal action for moral and economic damages.

I personally don't think the ads should have been pulled, but regardless they've already made an enormous impact.

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At the office the other day I was talking with a co-worker about the kind of crap I used to eat at the mall when I was a teenager. Cinnabuns with extra icing (the entire bun) and poutine (a French-Canadian specialty that consists of fries covered in cheese and gravy -- trust me, don't knock it until you tried it because it's indescribably delicious) were always the order of the day. I finished my end of the chat with the statement "no wonder I was so chubby in Jr. High".

I tend to avoid mall food altogether now but when I do need to grab a bite from the food court, I skip the fries and sugary stuff and stick to the healthy options that are available. These days there's way more variety with wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and more on offer at most shopping centers.

As this article points out, lots different cultures are represented these days including Mexican, Greek, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. If you're willing to skip the fried stuff, ask for dressing on the side, opt for whole-wheat rather than white bread and avoid extra sauces like mayo and ketchup, you can cut calories while still consuming healthy veggies and protein. For ideas on the best items to order at the food fair, take a look here.

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Scarlett Johansson, Heath Ledger and Cameron Diaz -- they're young, they're beautiful, they're rich, they're famous and they're all in great shape. Kind of makes you want to puke, right? Well, just rest assured that these celebs' fabulous bodies aren't necessarily a result of starving themselves. The proof is in the pudding (perhaps literally) if you pay attention to what this article says.

Apparently these, and other fit celebs, all love to dine at Hollywood hotspot Il Sole -- a restaurant serving delicious but likely calorie-laden Italian food. Any of you out there who love a creamy pasta dish or a deep-fried bocconcini cheese ball know the potential effects of too much Italian (and I'm not talking about a steamy evening with your better half courtesy of a bit too much vino).

But you too can eat like a star, without putting on the pounds, by preparing some of their favorites from Il Sole. The aforementioned article lists recipes for the preferred dishes of a bunch of fit celebs, but they've been pared-down and altered into diet-friendly alternatives. Apparently Courtney Cox Arquette is a fan of the Linquine ai Frutti di Mare, while Demi Moore likes to dine on Pollo Montecristo. So next time you're craving something decadent but not too fattening, try the Creamy Aspargus Soup (Drew Barrymore) or the Raspberry-Marzipan Tarts (Leo DiCapprio). Because everyone should feel like a star at least once in a while!

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Italian food can go either way where your fitness level is concerned. It can be mega nutritious and low in calories, or it can be a belly busting nightmare loaded with calories and fat. Choosing which way you'd like your meal to go isn't a brainteaser, it just requires for you to make the choice and stick with it.

Meat: Choose a lean cut and grill it. Avoid fried versions of chicken Parmesan. .

Vegetables: Italy is renowned for it's incredibly fresh and delicious vegetables, which they like to use quite liberally. You should do the same. Primavera is a term you should become familiar with and use it often when going Italian.

Sauce: The sauce is where lots of folks screw up royally. Think marinara. Marinara sauce is made from tomatoes. Lots are even naturally fat free. Alfredo is bad bad bad. I know that we don't like to put 'labels' on things, but too bad! If you are not specifically creating your own low fat version of the white stuff say the heck away from it. It's made from cream, butter, cheese, and all sorts of things that combine to clog your arteries and stuff your jeans. Sauces with the words oil or butter in them need to stay in the kitchen as well, Hey, it's Italian. Go red!

There are a plethora of weight-loss plans to choose from these days, and here's another to add to the list: The Mediterranean Diet. What exactly is it? It's not so much a weight-loss plan as it is a healthy lifestyle choice to be followed indefinitely, not just for a few weeks or so. Based on the eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean, the diet is rich in whole grains, fresh produce, fresh meat and fish, nuts, moderate amounts of healthy fats like Olive Oil, and even the occasional glass of wine. The Mediterranean Diet also focuses on lifestyle, encouraging people to eat smaller portions more slowly, surrounded by family and laughter.

The Mediterranean diet has earned a lot of good publicity in the last little while, being linked to both a healthy heart and a healthy brain.

For more information on the Mediterranean Diet, check this out.

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