When you don't want to cook and don't have any prepped meals in your home, eating out is the perfect solution. In fact, The Simple Dollar says people eat an average of 18.2 meals per month away from home. Whether you get food from your best local pizza place or head to a sit-down restaurant, Italian cuisine is a fantastic choice for eating out. True Italian food is not only delicious but healthy as well. Here are three ways eating Italian food is good for your health.

Vegetables, Vegetables, Vegetables

Italian food uses a variety of vegetables, all of which add nutritional value to a meal. An authentic Italian meal isn't the pasta-heavy plate of beef and macaroni you got in your high school cafeteria -- it's eggplant parmigiana, bruschetta, and other dishes that focus on vegetables. Some Italian-American dishes, such as pasta primavera, also emphasize veggies.

A Good Balance of Macronutrients

If you don't have any dietary restrictions that prevent it, getting a good mix of macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) is one of the best ways to keep your body fueled. You don't want to go wild with one group over another, and Italian food is a good source of the balance you need. For example, pizza has carbs in the crust, vegetables in the red sauce and veggie toppings, and protein in the cheese and meat toppings

Tomatoes and Lycopene Everywhere

Even though the tomato isn't from Europe, it's become a major part of much of Italian cuisine. That's not just true for Italian-American cuisine; this vegetable is a star in Italy as well. Not every dish has tomatoes in it but many do, and tomatoes and tomato sauce are also great to add to leftovers. Tomatoes and tomato products (including cooked ones) are stellar sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that may have anti-cancer benefits, according to Healthline. That means that if you order, say, a pizza with red sauce from your best local pizza place, you're getting that lycopene in a very tasty form.

If you're ready to enjoy the many health benefits of Italian food, come to Lola Coastal Italian for a delicious and filling meal. We offer the best local pizza, pasta, seafood, salads, and cocktails in the Panama City Beach, FL area.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.