Obesity and its associated set of chronic diseases are found to be linked with increased consumption of fast food. The ingredients like sodium, trans fat, and processed carbs make them an unhealthy choice. Unlike most of the other fast food items, pizza can still fit in your healthy eating regime.
Despite having most of these ingredients, you can create a pizza that will not drastically affect your calorie intake. So whether you are trying to eat healthy to detoxify your body or lose weight, pizza can stay a part of your diet.
It’s the new staple and our lives seem a bit incomplete about it but with a little more information and healthy tweaks, you can make it a part of your life, without the guilty conscience. Now let us see how is that possible. Even it’s the fresh dough pizza you are ordering or purchasing a frozen version, be a bit more mindful of the ingredients.
Choosing the Right Kind of Pizza Dough
The pizza crust is one of the major components of every slice you eat. If you can fill it up with healthier alternatives, you have done half the work already. The first step is to choose the right kind of flour for its dough. Prefer whole wheat flour which is freshly grounded. Use olive oils to mix the dough and keep the oil content as low as possible. Knead it well and you are ready with a healthy version of pizza dough.
How Is It Important?
Whole grains contain all the parts of the wheat kernel. The three main parts of the wheat kernel are bran, endosperm, and germ. The endosperm is full of starch whereas bran is mostly fiber. The germ cell contains essential vitamins and minerals. When you use whole wheat flour you will get all of these essential nutrients in a balanced quantity.
Whereas most of the fast-food are made of white flour. This is comprised of starchy endosperm. The fiber content of white flour is very low as compared to whole flour. This is the most important reason why you should always opt for whole-grain flour.
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and that makes it the best option to make your pizza treat a healthy one.
Choosing Healthy Pizza Toppings
Although the major portion of your Pizza slice is the crust, you must choose the toppings carefully. They can turn into extremely unhealthy additions to your plate. Prefer a pizza that is loaded with lean proteins and vegetables. Go slow on cheese and replace it with more veggies. Such toppings can provide an ample amount of nutrients required in your daily diet.
How to Reduce the Calorie Intake While You Consume Pizza?
Being mindful of what you put in the Pizza is an essential part of reducing the calories. But here are some additional tips to fit it into your eating plan.
Make Your Pizza at Home
Before you search through the Best Pizza Deals available in the restaurants near you, read along. Although Pizza is considered comfort food and you generally choose to eat it when you are not up to make food on your own, the best ones are made at home.
When you are making it on your own you can choose what you are putting in it and the quantity as well. You can replace additive containing ingredients with fresh ingredients and that can make a huge difference. Get some fresh olives, tomatoes, veggies, and cheese to make one in your kitchen. It can be a healthy and fun activity with your kids.
Keep It Simple
If you are not up to sort out the ingredients and read all those tiny labels on every food item you purchase, keep the pizza simple. Either you order it or bake it in your kitchen oven, minimize the ingredients in toppings and you can significantly reduce the calories.
Here is another pro-tip. Keep the crust thin to cut down the calories. The thinner the crust is, the lesser calories you are taking in.
Choose Whole Ingredients
It’s not only true for the flour but every other ingredient you put in. Avoid adding processed foods.
Choose Sugarless Sauces
The best approach is to make your sauces at home without adding loads of sugar. Most of the commercially available sauces are full of sugar.
Practice Portion Control
Keep an eye on the size and quantity of pizza slices you eat. Even the healthiest foods can be harmful when eaten in large quantities.
Find A Restaurant with Healthy Pizza Options
Search through the fancy pizza restaurants near you to pick one that offers healthy pizza options. Ordering a healthier version is far easy when you know which ingredients to skip. And don’t forget to add some physical activity in your daily routine.