help anyone in Italy

[IhateMyFat]

Hi my name is Daphne, I am new to the forum and hope someone can help me!

My sister has sent me two copies of the book from the uk and I've not received them yet (waiting 3 months)??? Does anyone have experience with the postal system here?? I havent lived here long and not speaking the language doesnt help..lol

I have started the diet with information from the forum but I really don't fell comfortable doing the diet without reading the book, there is sooo much I don't understand...

Thanks in advance..

[Roshen]

hi Daphne!
I'm italian so I can say I know how the postal system works there... and three months tells me they lost the package!
Can your sister trace it back with a code?
And beside that... without the code you can't do anything... sorry!
But she can check online and see where the package is stuck.

[Bellezza]

From experience Let me tell you the ItaLian postal system is one of the worst !!! Lol

amo la mia gente italiani , but purtroppo devo dire che la systema postale tanto male !!

But three months is even a little too long for italian post system ... hahaha.

As for foods , well even though pasta is everywhere in italy it is a course that can be easily skipped. depending on where in italy they first serve salad or fruit course , then a pasta course (piatti) and the the actual meal which consists of MEAT , either chicken , veal, beef or pork. if you tell the to go light on the marinara and load up on FRESH caprese salad consisting of decadent mozzarella , basil and olive oil you should be ALL set !!!

Also italians use a lot f mascarpone and ricotta cheese which you could but and sweeten with splenda and a lil vanilla.

OVERALL, you are in the country with the best Food quality. ypu will notice that none of the olive oils , cheeses or meats taste like they do here in the states AT ALL !!!

THEY TASTE SOOO MUCH better because they are ALL organic and you cant get it any fresher . trust me . I know. I seem to know italy like the back of my hand. been there sooo many times for vacations.

WHERE IN ITALY ARE YOU ?

[sallyseachange]

Hi Daphne!
I've lived in Italy more years than anywhere else in my life (at least thirty, off and on). The postal system isn't great, but it has improved lately (apart from the dogana - customs). Three months is really too long, even for here. They've lost the package.

I got my book from Amazon Uk, if I remember correctly. It arrived in around two weeks. Get the DANDR 2002 edition, which is the last one written entirely by Dr A himself, hence the most reliable. It's also the one this board goes by.

Hope you have no further probs and enjoy doing Atkins in Italy, which though difficult (all that pane, pasta, pizza....!) can be fantastic too, as we really do have wonderful quality here as Bellezza said.

Enjoy all the good antipasti, salads etc. A few of my faves are:

Caprese (tomato, basil and mozzarella)
Bresaola with rocket and parmesan shards
Prosciutto and melone (in OWL)
Pomodori gratinati (made without the breadcrumbs but with almond flour instead... also OWL)

Almond flour is a great substitute for bread and breadcrumbs... for things like polpette (Italian meatballs).

Weigh to go!
Ciao
Sal

[IhateMyFat]

Belleza - thanks for getting back to me. Yeah, I have given up on waiting for the book. A friend kindly scanned the most part of the book for me. I agree with you the quality of food is excellent! Only problem I've found here is that all fruits and veg are seasonal, so if one particular type of food is not in season I cant get it. Bearing in mind I've only been here for four months and I am still trying to find my feet... by the way I'm in Sicily lovely at "This" time of year, not looking forward to the winter...

Sallyseachange, the pane, pizza & pasta sure do make things difficult, especially because I have to cook everyday! Been feeding my DH low card the last two days and he seems to be enjoying it..lol I will try your suggested antipasti salads. I was a bit weary of eating salami etc are they fine to eat during induction? Problem is I cannot read labels on anything cannot, speak much Italian, I'm finding it very complicated!!! and Dh is not so patient.

Oh, can I eat panceta (spelling??)

Grazie

[zelda]

I sell internationally on EBAY... you shouldn't wait longer than 8 weeks for your package. Sometimes, customs will hold it back for that long, but longer than that & it's probably lost. Good Luck try again & I'm sure the next one will get there quicker.

[Bellezza]

Ohhhh Goshnesss I LOVE Pancetta. It is basically the same as american bacon but it doesnt have that smokey flavor . I like it way better than smoked bacon i get it all the time.

It is cured with spices and sometimes with garlic(aglio) which for some reason has carbs (correct me if am wrong) , but if you get the one with mostly pepper cured you should be fine.

Yeah i guess that is the trick , they have the freshest ingredients because they are pretty seasonal in terms of fruits and veggies , but italians are very great at using whats in season to make the most delicious foods.

whenever i am over there, my parents have a house at the adriatic sea , close to caorle , well we adapt the italian way and buy only whats in season to make the freshest food. trut me you get used to it after a while.

Ohhh Sicily is great, i have only been there several times, and only in palermo, ususally we stay on the main island, i thing that is one of the reasons that you have issues with frius being so seasonal ...

if u have a garden , try growing your OWN it is sooo much fun !

I miss Italy already, im considering doing a lik mini vacation in august !

Ohh and SFORZA AZZURRI for all the soccer fans

[sallyseachange]

Wow! Sicily is great! I live in Umbria, but we also have rental flatlets in the Aeolian Islands just off the Sicilian coast, so get there about four times a year. I adore it! And the food is to die for. Much better than Umbria.

Pancetta is fine for induction. You can get smoked (pancetta affumicata) or the more usual non smoked (just plain pancetta). It comes rolled or not...however you prefer. The only thing is, I've never been able to find nitrate free pancetta (or nitrate free any kind of 'salume' actually). In the end I gave up. I just eat it nitrates and all. I think, with all the pepper, they don't use that much... or I hope!

On the antipasti front... you can make mock "pomodori al riso" by substituting grated cauliflower for the rice. Just fill the tomatoes up more and don't add too much tomato liquid as the cauliflower obviously won't swell up and absorb the liquid like rice does.

Buon appetito!
Sal

[IhateMyFat]

Thanks for all these tips Sal & Belleza, I sure am enjoying the pancetta...lol. Belleza we live 10 minutes out side palermo, in a little fishing village about 200mtrs off the coast. We also own a typical Italian bar along the coast (5 minutes from home).

Thanks so much for all your help

Daphne
xxxxxxx

[sallyseachange]

Sounds fantastic Daphne!