Can I Eat Low Sodium At Carrabbas Italian Grill
Italian restaurants are very hit or miss for offering low sodium options. Typically it is due to the fact that the chain restaurants often resort to canned sauces and processed cheeses. They also resort to salting the pasta water to the consistency of the ocean as TV chef’s proclaim is the only way to cook pasta. So I am very surprised to find a chain that has dishes we can eat. Here is the guide to what we can eat and stay low sodium at Carrabbas Italian Grill.
Why Italian Restaurants Are So High In Sodium
Italian cuisine relies heavily upon pasta, seasoned sauces, cheese, and meats like beef, pork, or veal. Lighter Italian fare leans on fresher ingredients and seafood. Chain restaurants often rely on canned vegetables and sauces, processed cheeses and processed meats. Which is sad, because we know we can make Italian healthier and low sodium at home. I know this because of my own low sodium spaghetti and low sodium pizza sauce recipes. In fact we often find sauces that are alternatives to tomato sauce like my Walnut Avocado Pesto Chicken Pasta.
Also, the fact that every TV Chef preaches that water salted to the salinity of the ocean is the “only” way to cook pasta, is a very damaging position. The truth is, they are salting the water as the noodles themselves don’t often develop flavor on their own. That was the purpose of the sauces, they were to add the flavor. Why salt the pasta if you are smothering it with sauce? Some restaurants get this. Olive Garden is one. Others end up on the list of high sodium menu restaurants to avoid.
What Qualifies As A Low Sodium Menu Item?
We are looking for items that fit within our daily allotments of milligrams of sodium. The USDA recommends that a person with a healthy heart consume 2300 mg of sodium per day. The American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic recommend that anyone with high blood pressure, is over the age of 50, is a woman, is a person of color, or has a heart issue consume no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day.
So we are looking for a meal that runs between 500-700 mg for a main course, side order, and a beverage. We also do not want to have to resort to ordering off of the kids menu. All of this information was found on Carrabbas Nutrition Information page.
What We Can Eat And Stay Low Sodium At Carrabbas Italian Grill
There are limited choices, and unfortunately not pasta, but let’s have a look:
Lunch Menu:
Italian Sandwiches:
Caprese (half sandwich) is 330 mg
Chicken Bryan (half sandwich) is 380 mg
Steak (half sandwich) is 440 mg
Lunch Pasta Combo (Pasta Portion)
The Mezzaluna is 520 mg
Lunch Entrees:
Tuscan Grilled Sirloin (6 ounce) is 400 mg
Lunch Side Orders:
Tomato Cucumber Salad is 150 mg
Zucchini Fritte Side is 440 mg
Dinner Menu:
House Side Salad (with no dressing) is 570 mg
Veal Marsala is 600 mg
Tuscan Grilled Sirloin (6 ounce) is 400 mg
Grilled Asparagus is 200 mg
Freshly Steamed Broccoli is 30 mg
Sauteed Broccoli is 300 mg
Mini Canolli (dessert) is 65 mg
