Keto at an Italian Restaurant

It can be, with a few swaps. Italian menus look like a minefield of pasta, but the secondi (the meat and fish courses), the antipasti and the salads are naturally low in carbs. Order the protein, swap the starch for vegetables and let the bread basket pass.

Antipasto, grilled fish or chicken, steak or veal with vegetables, caprese, green salad.

Pasta, risotto, bread, pizza, breaded cutlets (parmigiana, milanese), sweet balsamic glaze. Hidden carbs to watch for: flour dredging on piccata, marsala and scaloppine; breadcrumbs in meatballs, stuffed peppers and baked clams; sugar in some marinara sauces and in balsamic glaze; polenta and farro sides served under the protein.

Try: “Could you sauté the protein with vegetables instead of pasta?” Keep requests short and friendly; kitchens handle substitutions all the time.

A glass of dry red or Pinot Grigio, or a dry martini. Skip the Aperol spritz and limoncello.