CARB CITY

I think the best thing to do in a new city is to immerse yourself in the culture by trying the food.

That was definitely the case for me in Lugano, Switzerland.

While that can be a great experience in itself, it is important to realize exactly what you are eating, how often you’re eating it and to make yourself aware of potential alternatives that might make for healthier food choices.

For me, I happened to eat starch at nearly every meal. Many, if not all, of my meals lacked vegetables, and I had lemon soda instead of water at almost every restaurant.

Here’s why:

• Starch-based foods are very popular in Lugano and Italy.
• Water is expensive, resulting in many people choosing wine or equally priced drinks like lemon soda to accompany their meal.
• Tomatoes are on everything! No complaints from me because tomatoes are healthy.
• The drinking age is 16, and drinking wine with your meal is very common here.