The Ciccione Diet

I hear that Teresa, the table-flipping NJ housewife, is writing a book called Skinny Italian. I should have written it first! Before going to Italy, I thought I would gain at least 10 pounds after my four month stint in Puglia. To my surprise, the complete opposite happened. I enjoyed croissants and cappuccino, pasta almost every day and pizza at least once a week. By the end of summer, I could barely keep my pants up. How did this happen? 


1) FRESH INGREDIENTS! Our olive oil came from Ciccio's dad's olive farm. The eggs- we seriously took them right after the Chicken laid them. If you want fish (which in the South you def do) you don't go to the grocery, you wake up early to see what the fisherman caught at the port. Quality cheese, not the processed, imitation stuff we have here.. that's the only affordable option. 


2) HOLD the BUTTER and CREAM. Ciccio's mom didn't even have butter in her fridge and she only made one dish with cream the whole time I was there (risotto). Sorry Olive Garden, in Italy it's a big no no to mix cream or cheese with seafood. 


3) RELAX. This might be the greatest lesson to learn from South Italians. As I've mentioned before, in Trani, everything shuts down from 1-5, so you can go home, eat your lunch slowly, and take a nap in the sun if you please. The stress level is so low. I guarantee no cortisol was released in my stomach this summer.


Needless to say, I learned a lot from the Italian diet. Yet even though he knows better too, Ciccio has his OWN ideas of what a good diet means...

1) EAT FRIED food at least once a week to keep your kidneys working. Yes, he claims a doctor told his dad this.


2) A pot belly is a sign of "HEALTHINESS". 


3) Rice is not a carb in Ciccio's dictionary, so therefore it's okay to eat the whole package that is suppose to serve 4


4) Nutella and Pizza are part of his recommended food pyramid


So Teresa is right; an Italian diet can be Skinny, but if you are a Ciccione (fat boy) like my hubby, you don't care.