I Will Be Traveling To Italy For A Week. Any Tips To Keep It As Peaty As Possible?

[milk_lover]

The title sums it up. I will go to Lake Como and Rome if that info is needed. I want to avoid wheat, alcohol, PUFA, etc.,. I don't speak the language, so it will be difficult to communicate my ideas to the Italian chefs.

 

[milk_lover]

While there, can I buy the italian cascara Ray Peat recommended and where?

 

[Ulla]

Gelato :)

 

[CarbAppreciator]

I would imagine there would be an abundance of fresh seafood available there as it is a peninsula. I think olive oil is used extensively in cooking there so that's fairly low in pufa. Maybe try to stick to seafood soups and stews for meals, and cheese and fruits for snacks. Part of my family is visiting Rome, what a historic place!

 

[bobbybobbob]

You should eat pasta and pizza and drink wine. Why even bother going otherwise.

 

[BobbyDukes]

I just don't think you can trust any eating establishment, if your aim is to stay Peatish. As sad as that is.

You can be conservative, and enjoy yourself. Or you can stuff your face, no holes barred, and enjoy yourself.

How can you go and not have pizza. That has to be a crime in itself.

 

[Tarmander]

Does such saturation live there? Go bunk with him

 

[Simonsays]

Take a week off Peat, live a bit or live on espresso, parmesan and ice cream

 

[bobbybobbob]

Take a week off Peat, live a bit or live on espresso, parmesan and ice cream

I don't think peat freaks out about wheat or moderate alcohol. He just frankly discusses the relative downsides vice some practically hypothetical ideal diet. There's nothing super anti-peat about a high quality pizza or carbonara. I mean, it's not like guzzling a bottle of canola oil.

On the subject of booze he just seems to say don't drink too much or too often. And that alcohol negatively interacts with iron and PUFA, so if you're going to drink have the rest of your diet in order.

 

[ecstatichamster]

Italy grains didn't bother me. I think their wheat is different. Much better.

 

[CarbAppreciator]

I agree with wheat not being that bad, I eat white bread almost every day. On cronometer, I noticed it has a pretty decent micronutrient profile, being especially high in selenium which can be hard to get. I guess that's the advantage of eating seeds.

That being said, the most likely place to run into the high gluten GM wheat in Italy would be Rome, but if you are in the country side, the locally grown wheat is probably a lot safer.

Don't forget to reserve a seat on the return flight for your 100 lb wheel of parmesan!

 

[ecstatichamster]

Tough thing is avoiding superb Italian cured meats. Tuscany cured meats are amazing. But really it's easy to eat right in Italy. Very little vegetable oil for instance. Lots of good dairy products.

 

[Such_Saturation]

While there, can I buy the italian cascara Ray Peat recommended and where?

You have to find a pharmacy and ask them to order it (use google maps). It will take about three work days to get to the pharmacy. Pizza could give you stuffed nose because of citric acid in mozzarella, or Chinese tomatoes, or sunflower oil instead of olive oil for example. Of course if you go to tourist traps it will be more risky food.

 

[bobbybobbob]

Tough thing is avoiding superb Italian cured meats. Tuscany cured meats are amazing. But really it's easy to eat right in Italy. Very little vegetable oil for instance. Lots of good dairy products.

I would like to hear details about how "bad" is a really good prosciutto or salami. 'Cause gawd damn do they taste fantastic.

 

[Such_Saturation]

I would like to hear details about how "bad" is a really good prosciutto or salami. 'Cause gawd damn do they taste fantastic.

I think they are grain-fed so I would eat them in moderation. Only very local specialties are acorn-fed. Also always make sure it has

or it might as well be foreign pork.

 

[milk_lover]

Thank you Such and the rest for the information. Good, doorknobrob, that you reminded me about parmisan. Will any parmisan I find in Como and Rome be the same as parmigiano-reggiano?
I am very much tempted to indulge in the pizzas, pastas etc,. One week won't hurt much.

 

[mujuro]

I imagine Peat would say something like "I would take the time to enjoy the vibrancy and cultural experience that Italy has to offer, and not worry so much about diet for 7 days. We have to take time to indulge and perhaps even throw caution to the wind, so we can feel alive, otherwise life is but a chore".

 

[DrJ]

The Laphroaig Single Malt is particularly peaty concoction. I'd enjoy it neat after a nice Italian dinner. But seriously, I'd just enjoy a vacation, get plenty of milk and cheese where you can, and then take some activated charcoal when you get back to set your digestion straight.

 

[DesertRat]

How did it go? I've been in Italy since Feb 2, don't check the forum often, but no trouble Peating. For snacks, I get cappuchino or latte machiata with sugar and a fresh-squeezed OJ to splurge. Gelato is another good snack. Parmegiano reggiano is pretty cheap here, and so are oranges and clementines -- I eat a lot of them. At restaurants, I often get risotto with mushrooms, as it's made with white rice and I don't have issues with starch. And for second courses, anything "in umido" with bones is cooked slowly in its own juices and has whatever natural gelatin is in the animal (if you get goat, or rabbit, or ossobuco). Just avoid the pastries as they're all made with margarine. You can buy some decent stuff in the supermarkets (e.g. stuff made with butter).

 

[DesertRat]

I would like to hear details about how "bad" is a really good prosciutto or salami. 'Cause gawd damn do they taste fantastic.

True prosciutto from Parma is made with only salt. No additives. Pigs have to raised traditionally, no GMO feed either -- just don't know if their diet is acorns or corn. It's possible in supermarkets in Italy to buy the real stuff, just as it is in Costco in the US, although not aged as long in the US. All the salamis I've found have nitrates.