While holidaying in places like Italy, Spain and France, dishes such as pasta and pizza would be a popular choice yet during my time in Italy recently, I quickly discovered the Mediterranean type diet has so much more to offer. There are so much more healthier foods that are extremely fresh and wholesome.

The Italians love:
1.Grains such as quinoa (which is seen as a superfood now), faro, polenta, rice and cechi which is chickpea flour (nicer than it sounds).

2. Fresh fruit and vegetables: The fruit and vegetables in Italy generally tend to be freshly grown and then sold straight away before any harmful chemical sprays and toxins are added. The fruit and vegetables are bursting with flavour!!

3. Fresh fish: the fish here literally look as if they are still alive..just not moving. The eyes, scales and tails are still on and they are not processed in any way. They taste a lot fresher!

So next time you are in one of these countries, explore the different foods rather than sticking to the regular pasta and pizza!

Izzy Carron