Is pizza a “guilty pleasure” to be avoided?

Is pizza a healthy choice?

Popular belief categorizes pizza as junk food, due to its often-high fat, sodium and calorie content. But is this a valid reason to avoid eating it? Of course not, since many other factors influence health. For example, the pleasure of eating and overall eating habits has a greater impact on health than the occasional pizza. Variety is also a health-promoting factor, so why not prepare your own pizza at home? This also allows you to personalize it according to your tastes and desired nutritional quality.

Preferred ingredients?

The crust

The base of the pizza, the crust, is often made from white flour. An alternative would be to replace part of it with whole-wheat flour to increase the fiber content. It would also be possible to replace the crust completely with other foods such as whole-wheat naans or pitas, which are a practical and original option. Vegetable-based crust options, including cauliflower, can be another way to replace traditional dough.

The sauce

Pizza sauce is usually tomato based. However, there are other alternatives, some examples of which are given at the end of this article. Sauce can be homemade or bought in ready-to-use format. It would be a good idea to compare the sodium and even sugar content – yes, you read that right! To counteract the acidity of tomatoes, sugar is often added, so its sugar content can be quite high.

As for cheese, choosing alower-fat cheese (20% M.F. or less) would be an interesting alternative for reducing the total fat and calorie content of your pizza.

Proteins

Choosing leaner proteins to replace traditional deli meats would also reduce sodium and fat content. Soy products (tempeh, textured vegetable protein, soy-based minced meatless, vegan pepperoni, etc.), fish and seafood (tuna, clams, shrimp, etc.) are other interesting choices for pizza toppings, both for their nutritional value and their yummy taste.

Fruits & veggies

The presence of fruit and vegetables is also important in your pizza. A benchmark for determining the amount could be Canada’s Food Guide, which recommends that half your plate be made up of these foods. In the case of a pizza, the dough could be vegetable-based, just as half the toppings could be fruit and/or vegetables. You could also complement your pizza with a salad or vegetable side dish.

I’m sharing a variety of homemade pizzas to sample! You’ll discover a variety of crusts, from the classic with eggplant, to sauces, including the classic tomato with pesto… there’s something for everyone!

9 variety of pizza to try

Pizzas	Crust	Sauce	Cheese	Toppings
Vegetarian Deluxe Pizza	Whole wheat Naan bread	Tomato, balsamic vinegar	Gouda	Mushroom and bell peppers Seitan sausages Basil leaves
Indian-Inspired Chickpea Pizza (French only)	Whole wheat Naan bread	Yogurt and lime (on the crust)	Mozzarella	Ginger Onion, bell peppers and zucchini Tandoori curry paste Chickpeas Coriander
Eggplant Pizza	Eggplant	Tomato Sauce	Cheddar or Light Jarlsberg	Basil and oregano Garlic (Pear and walnut salad as a side dish)
Pesto and Artichoke Pizza (French only)	Classic crust	Pesto	Semi-firm cheese Ricotta	Leek Artichoke hearts Toasted pine nuts Basil
Roasted Vegetable Béchamel Pizza	Classic crust	Béchamel sauce	Mozzarella Parmesan	Zucchini, onion and bell pepper Basilic
Mini Hummus Pizzas	Whole wheat Naan bread	Hummus	Suisse	Shredded chicken Lebanese cucumber, red onion and tomatoes
Snail and Shrimp Pizza	Whole wheat Tortilla	Rosée Sauce	Cheddar	Northern shrimps Snails French shallots and mushrooms Parsley and Italian spices
Peach and Ricotta Pizza	Classic crust	Blend of ricotta, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla	Ricotta in the sauce	Peaches Balsamic glaze Fresh herbs
Greek-Inspired Pizza with Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) (French only)	Whole wheat Naan bread	Tomato sauce	Feta	TVP Garlic French shallots, mushrooms, bell peppers, Kalamata olives and Cherry tomatoes Oregano

Would you like more personalized advice on how to make your pizza interesting in terms of taste AND nutritional value? Call on a nutritionist, she’ll be happy to help.

Is pizza a “guilty pleasure” to be avoided? is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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