Pizza: A Healthy Choice?
Can pizza be a healthy choice? That totally depends on the pizza!
Most restaurant, fast-food and store-bought pizzas are loaded with calories, saturated fats and sodium. These are not the healthiest choices!
Regular consumption of excessive calories, fat and sodium can lead to weight gain and obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and increase your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
It is best to limit your intake of restaurant, fast-food and store-bought pizzas by saving them for special occasions.
However, if you make your own pizza at home, it can be a very healthy choice that can be enjoyed at any time.
Try these quick-and-easy healthy pizza recipes from the Dietitians of Canada cookbook “Simply Great Food”.
This gourmet-style pizza can be ready in 20 minutes!
Artichoke and Veggie Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes/Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes
Preheat oven to 375°F
Ingredients:
- 1 homemade or purchased pizza crusts
- ½ can (7 ½ oz./213 mL) pizza sauce
- 3 Roma (Plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 can (14 oz./398 mL) artichoke hearts, drained and halved
- 1 cup shredded asiago cheese
Directions:
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust to within ½ inch of edge. Place tomato slices evenly around the edge and in the centre. Please halved artichoke hearts over tomato slices. Sprinkle pizza evenly with cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown and crust is golden and crisp.
If you love the sweetness of pineapple, try this healthy version of Hawaiian-style pizza.
Ham and Pineapple Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes/Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes
Preheat oven to 375°F
Ingredients:
- 1 homemade or purchased pizza crusts
- ½ can (7 ½ oz./213 mL) pizza sauce
- ½ cup diced lean ham
- ½ cup diced fresh pineapple
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
Directions:
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust to within ½ inch of edge. Sprinkle evenly with ham and pineapple. Top with cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown and crust is golden and crisp.
Reference: 2007. Simply Great Food. Dietitians of Canada. Robert Rose.
