Enjoying the food in Europe

I had the opportunity to go to Europe in late March/early April of this year [2018] and I for sure wasn’t turning it down. If you’ve been to my site before you may have read about my disordered eating history and if you’re really observant, you’d know that my disordered eating history peaked the last time I was in Spain in 2011.

This time around, I was going to Spain for a couple days but most of my time was going to be in Italy — my dream destination. I was so excited to go with a much better relationship with food and a desire to live in the moment, enjoying the views, people and food before me! Though it was definitely hard at times, it was so worth it.

This is what I ate [and learned] during this trip!

My flight landed in Spain at 12:30am EST but 6:30am Spain time, so I decided to ignore the need for sleep and explore the city. We started with cappuccinos and a traditional spanish breakfast of toast, tomatoes and prosciutto. Little did I know cappuccinos would become my best friend during this trip.

Day 2 we flew to Rome — I was still feeling jet-lagged and dehydrated but was running on adrenaline because Italy is so beautiful. We started the morning with pastries & a cappuccino, much like we’d start the majority of the days on this trip.

Years ago, if pastries had been the only option, I probably would have tried to pick the “healthiest one” or the smallest one — out of fear that this pastry would harm my body. But this time I chose the one I really wanted and it happened to be one of the biggest.

Throughout this trip, there were instances of negative thoughts like, “Will this body change my food? Should I not eat those last few bites? Should I skip this snack?” But I was able to reframe the thoughts into more productive ones, such as “This food will not change my body and if it does, after the trip my body will figure itself out. You’re only in Italy once — enjoy the food! Experience the flavors! Have fun!” Having been practicing Intuitive Eating for months prior was really helpful.

While in Italy, my friend Jessica and I stayed with her aunt who lived in a small town right outside of Rome. Day 1 was a LOT of walking around the town and we ended the night with homemade pasta. Honestly it was more pasta than I’m used to eating, but in Italy to not finish your meal is a pretty big insult so I did the best I could. This was one instance where it was challenging to listen to my hunger cues — but like the rest of this trip I was able to rationalize that this is only 1 week and when it’s gone, I’ll miss it.

We tried gelato at least 5 times during the week we were there, and I enjoyed a few scoops all but one time when I was honestly too full to get any. The gelato was as amazing as you think it’d be and I’m still dreaming of it.

Day 3 we went to Naples and again walked a couple hours. This was probably one of my favorite days — there was SO MUCH good food. We started the morning with these pastries with ricotta in them. I forget what they were called but they were crisp yet sweet and light.

After walking for a few hours, we sat down on the coast for some legit pizza in Naples. I was wondering if the pizza here was really that good — YES it’s really that good. I ate about 90% of this pizza. In one sitting. Prob not my best IE skills but when will I have this pizza again?

Then we walked a couple more hours only to have to stop again for more food [hahaha]. I definitely wasn’t hungry for this, but it was an experience and also tasted amazing. These were little doughnut-type foods that had cream in the middle. They were pretty tiny but so rich. I also tried an espresso and hated it. Not sure why I’m smiling in this pic LOL.

 The next day we went back to Rome again and saw so many incredible views [blog post coming soon on that!] We again had cappuccinos and a special italian cannoli for breakfast [Do you understand now how Italians eat? ;)]

While in Rome for the second time, we stopped in Trastevere, which is an adorable part of town with colorful buildings and a smaller-vibe [if that makes sense]. We stopped at this Italian restaurant for a giant piece of bread with eggplant parm inside. This was probably my favorite food of the entire trip.  

The next few days we spent in Florence, which was absolutely beautiful. We started off with pastries and cappuccinos [again] and made our way through the city. We stopped in this tiny mom & pop restaurant that was packed and made our way down to the basement where there was even more seating [I felt pretty legit since it was all locals down there] and I ordered ravioli in meat sauce. We finished with some homemade biscotti.   Over the next few days, I enjoyed gelato, homemade pasta, steak, more pizza, and gelato.   

Our last night in Italy, we drove into Rome and saw it at night. We also stopped to try these chocolate shots. I don’t really drink, but these were actually really good.

And the last morning ended how we started — with a cappuccino and pastry!

While scrolling through these photos, you may feel uncomfortable, annoyed, confused or a whole different emotion. To state the obvious, I didn’t eat very healthy while in Italy. But I wasn’t trying to. Not only did I want to experience the culture, land and sights, I wanted to experience the food. I tried to push aside any anxieties or fears or rules I may subconsciously have about eating and just eat in the moment. Eat what other people are eating. Eat as Italians do. My body may have changed while I was there — I can’t really tell and I’m trying not to focus on it because I know my body will find a place where it’s comfortable — without me needing to manipulate or micromanage it.

Since being back, I’ve continued to eat intuitively but have noticed I crave more fruits and vegetables. And that’s normal. I spent an entire week basically eating carbs and now my body is craving other foods. That’s okay. That’s fine. My body is smart and I’m learning to trust it.