As a dietitian and lover of food, I am often asked two things: what is my favorite healthy food and what is my favorite not-so-healthy food? The best part about it? It’s the same food. I LOVE PIZZA.
Pizza comes in all shapes, sizes and flavors. It can be easily found in the frozen department of your local grocery store, in slices at your favorite convenience store or easily delivered right to your front door. The thing that excites me the most about pizza is I can have the best of both worlds. It can taste delicious and be healthy.
Why Pizza is Healthy
Pizza can be a very healthy food because it can have almost all the food groups in one dish and achieve balance to your meals. This is why choosing quality and high-nutrient ingredients is a must to increase the health factor of your pizza. Pizza is loaded with vitamins and minerals (tomato sauce and vegetables), calcium (cheese), protein (lean meats) and fiber (whole grain or whole wheat crust).
Dine-in or Carryout
Yes, you can have healthier pizza when dining out and without changing much of the flavor. When ordering, here are some healthier pizza tips
• Crust. Ask if a whole grain or whole wheat option is available. If it is not, always choose the thinnest crust option to keep your starch servings in check.
• Extra sauce. Always choose a tomato-based sauce and ask for extra sauce. Pizza sauce is a great source of the antioxidant lycopene that helps keep our cells happy.
• Load up with vegetables. Many restaurants offer a long list of vegetable options for pizza. I recommend choosing a vegetable pizza as your base and then adding the protein you like.
• Less cheese, please. I love cheese, and cheese is a very important component on pizza, but a pound of cheese is not necessary. I recommend choosing mozzarella cheese and ask if you can have half the regular amount of cheese on your pie.
• If you like meat on your pizza, I recommend ham or Canadian bacon, chicken, shrimp and beef as leaner options. These are usually going to be the healthiest proteins on the menu.
• Skip the Parmesan and add the red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes add more flavor to each slice, which will encourage you to eat less. Also, the heat from the pepper may increase your metabolism.
At Home
At home, the healthier pizza possibilities are endless! You can get creative and try new flavor combinations. Please include all the tips for when you are dining out for pizza and add these:
• Making your own sauce. Pizza sauce can be high in sodium, so why not make it from scratch? There are plenty of no-salt-added canned tomato products available, and you can adjust the flavor by adding your own herbs and spices.
• Herbs and spices. Adding flavor to your pizza is important because the more flavor it has, the less you need to eat of it to be satisfied. Dried herbs likes oregano, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes and fennel have antioxidants similar to fruits and vegetables.
• Choose flavorful cheese and use less! When choosing a cheese, choose ones with richer and stronger flavors. I enjoy using parmesan, blue and goat cheese instead of mozzarella. The more flavor, the less you need.
Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pizza
4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
2 cups of butternut squash, cubed (frozen or fresh)
2 tablespoons of agave nectar, divided
2 teaspoons of chili powder, divided
2 teaspoons of cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, divided
4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into large pieces
½ large red onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 -12 inch pre-made whole wheat pizza crust
6 ounces of shredded Fontina cheese
¼ cup walnut pieces, toasted
6-8 fresh sage leaves
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place cubed butternut squash on the pan.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix with the butternut squash and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.
3. Warm butter over medium heat and place onions in the pain. Sautee onions until they form a nice brown color on the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg with salt and pepper to taste. Spread this mixture over your whole wheat pizza crust.
5. Place the roasted butternut squash on the pizza crust, followed by the onions, cheese, prosciutto and toasted walnuts.
6. Cook the pizza according to the directions on the pre-made pizza crust.
7. Before serving, top the pizza with fresh sage leaves and enjoy!
~Crazy
No comments:
Post a Comment