Better Everyday – An Interview With Giada De Laurentiis

When Everyday Italian premiered on the Food Network in 2003, Giada De Laurentiis never could have imagined the career path that unfolded, a trajectory that includes several offshoot television shows, such as her self-guided Italian culinary adventure with Bobby Flay in the Discovery+ travelogue Bobby and Giada in Italy, released in January.

A mother, chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author, De Laurentiis has nine books and an entire children’s series under her belt. For her tenth, being released on March 16, 2021, she chose a different route. Eat Better, Feel Better isn’t just a recipe collection. This first-hand account of her wellness journey is equal parts manual and cookbook that reflects on how healthy eating isn’t one-size-fits-all. She offers advice for improving health through identifying foods that nourish, energize, and promote overall wellbeing. Here, she shares the driving forces behind the book, her personal path to wellness, and of course, some Italian inspiration.

LCI: How will this book help people obtain and maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Giada De Laurentiis: The book is really about my personal journey to feel better and in sharing that, I hope that other people will discover how to help themselves feel better as well. In the book, I tell people to eat the foods that love you back. To figure this out, I include a three-day reboot, which helps the body heal itself, and then I suggest slowly incorporating more ingredients back into your diet, but in a mindful way. It’s all about the small adjustments that work for you. For example, I have a friend who could eat a raw kale salad every day, but raw kale doesn’t agree with me. On the other hand, I can eat a bunch of bitter broccoli rabe without batting an eyelash. It’s all about taking it slow and really listening to your body to discover what is best for you. Everyone is different, so what might work for one person may not work for another. The key to eating better to feel better is to listen to your body and make adjustments accordingly.

LCI: What’s your take on healthy food?

Giada De Laurentiis: Many people think there needs to be a drastic change in order to eat healthily, but that’s not true. My cooking still stays true to my Italian roots, with lots of delicious, fresh ingredients. Eating well is not about eliminating foods. It’s about noting how they affect you and eating less of those that challenge your health. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat pasta or dairy. As an Italian, I would never tell you that! Eating well is about finding the right balance for you. The real goal is to rethink the food we’re putting in our bodies and reduce the amount of inflammatory foods and toxins, but not eliminate things entirely. 

LCI: In what ways has your wellness focus impacted the way that you cook?

Giada De Laurentiis: I’m much more mindful about the ingredients I’m using. I try to shop at farmers’ markets when I can or if I’m at a larger market, I purchase organic foods. I try to cook with ingredients that are in season and also cook with less processed foods. I used to take shortcuts by buying pre-grated cheese or a bottle of salad dressing, but I’ve realized how many stabilizers, sugars, and additives are in those products, which make them way harder for my body to digest. I now take a couple of extra minutes to grate my own cheese or make my own salad dressing because I know it’s worth it.

LCI: What are some of the Italian or Italian-inspired recipes in the book?

Giada De Laurentiis: I couldn’t release a cookbook without Italian recipes. The only difference is the dishes have a slightly healthier twist— while still being just as delicious, I promise! I have a chapter on pasta, but I’ve changed a few things so the dishes won’t sit heavily in your stomach the way so many cheesy, creamy, ultra-rich pastas can. None of the pasta recipes put animal products at the center, just small amounts of dairy, chicken broth, or eggs used to add body and richness. I suggest substituting gluten-free pasta if your body doesn’t do well with gluten and also eating a smaller portion size, so you can still enjoy a delicious pasta dish, but not feel bad afterward. I also have a chicken Milanese recipe where I use rice flour and gluten-free panko to make it a little lighter and easier on the tummy. I serve it the way they do in Italy, topped with an arugula salad dressed with lemon and salt. Another dish is one of my grandfather’s favorite recipes called Acqua Pazza. The name means “crazy water,” a reference to the way the wine and oil in the cooking liquid stay separate in the bowl, making the sauce look broken. I usually make the dish with sea bass and it’s delicious— crazy delicious as I like to say! It’s the perfect dish for a Sunday afternoon.

LCI: What recipes are you particularly excited about?

Giada De Laurentiis: That’s tricky...I love them all! I love my Amalfi chicken for an easy weeknight dinner and I also have a sweet spot (and sweet tooth!) for my gluten-free banana bread. It’s rich and decadent, but slightly better for you than normal banana bread because I substitute rice flour and almond flour for AP flour and I also use coconut sugar versus regular sugar.

LCI: Any plans for a book tour?

Giada De Laurentiis: Yes, although things look a bit different this time around. I’m doing several virtual events, but luckily I’ll still be able to engage with the audience and everyone attending will receive a copy of the book. I’m looking forward to connecting with fans, even if it’s virtually.

LCI: What are some ingredients that you like to keep in your fridge?

Giada De Laurentiis: In an effort to have healthier options on hand when I don’t have time to cook, I like to make large batches of items that I can snack on when needed. This usually includes roasted veggies like sweet potatoes and broccoli, brown rice, bone broth that I can sip on or use to make a quick soup, sliced fennel, arugula, homemade salad dressing — lots of fresh healthy ingredients so I’m reaching for those things versus a piece of chocolate (most of the time, at least!).

LCI: How often do you visit Italy and what are your favorite places?

Giada De Laurentiis: I try to go to Italy at least once a year. My mom was living in Rome up until this year when she moved to LA, so it was always nice to visit her. It’s hard to say what my favorite place is! Each area is great for its own reasons — I love the energy of Rome, but I also love the sprawling Tuscan hills, and the Amalfi Coast and Capri will always have my heart. So hard to choose!

LCI: And your favorite restaurants?

Giada De Laurentiis: Rome: Nino, Roscioli for Roman Pizza, Dilla; Tuscany: Locanda Demetra, Podere Il Casale; Florence: Trattoria Camillo, 4 Leoni; Capri: La Capannina, Da Paolino, Lo Scoglio.

LCI: Have any of those places inspired the recipes in the book?

Giada De Laurentiis: My Campanelle with Salmon Puttanesca was inspired by a seaside trattoria in Capri called Torres Saracena. It’s usually made with tuna, but the fresh salmon makes it lighter and brighter, but still just as flavorful. I make my Amalfi chicken, inspired by Da Paolino, almost weekly — the lemon, crispy chicken skin, and herbs make it a family favorite, plus it’s super easy to make. 

LCI: We can’t sign off without asking one last question: What is your favorite Italian food?

Giada De Laurentiis: Pizza bianca with fresh mortadella... made in Rome!

Recipe Courtesy of Eat Better, Feel Better by Giada De Laurentiis.
Photography by Kristin Teig.
Copyright 2021 by GDL Foods Inc.
Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.