by Rebecca Mohning, DTG Nutritionist
 When you think of pizza what comes to mind first: The thick doughy crust or the gooey cheese topping?
Sure, pizza can be bad for your diet when taken to extreme. However, there are ways to roll out a healthy pizza that will get your mouth watering but won’t force you to use five napkins to soak up all the grease.
Pizza can fit into a healthy diet. All it takes is a few modifications. Trust me… even though my recipes are healthy you might end up enjoying the taste more than you thought. So wouldn’t it be nice to fit a little slice of heaven into your diet more often?
This week I am tossing you a few quick modifications for a homemade pizza that will bump up the fiber and lower the fat and calories. Start with a whole wheat crust or whole wheat pita for your base.
Here’s an easy recipe for whole wheat dough you can make yourself.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth (about 10 minutes).
Place dough in an oiled bowl, and flip to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (about 1 hour).
Once the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crusts, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll your ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well-oiled pizza pan.
Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats and vegetables.
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.
Now let’s shoot for a healthier sauce. Pizza sauce that you buy can be packed with a lot sugar. Instead, take a few Roma tomatoes and blend them with some olive oil and Italian spices and it’ll be ready to go.
Cheese is the next main component of a pizza, so let’s simply opt for a cheese-free style of pizza to slice out a lot of fat and calories. Can’t bear the thought of pizza without cheese? Well, there is good news for all you cheese lovers. The most common cheese used for pizza is mozzarella and that is made from skim milk so it tends to be lower in fat.
But please don’t go crazy when adding your mozzarella. Experiment with cutting back on the amount of cheese used until you get a perfect mix of cheesy joy and low calories.
Other than cheese, there are lots of toppings that can really give your healthier pizza its originality. Here are my top 10 toppings for health: Tomatoes, onions, black and green olives, pineapple, all kinds of peppers, soy pepperoni, broccoli, spinach, and reduced fat feta cheese. Try your own combination of these healthy toppings.
For the more adventurous readers, try a black bean nacho pizza by adding black bean spread, Jack cheese, tomatoes, scallions, olives and pickled jalapenos. You’ll be feasting on something that is part nacho, part pizza.
Or try a Thai chicken pizza with toppings like thinly sliced basil, cilantro, chopped peanuts and/or crushed red pepper.
For even more great ideas click here and sample 10 yummy pizzas that pack less than 300 calories per TWO SLICES!
Remember, you can sink your teeth into a great-tasting pizza for half the calories and fat without sacrificing the taste!
*** Diet-to-Go welcomes reproduction of its articles however the articles must be reused in their entirety and with the attribution "Reprinted Courtesy of www.DiettoGo.com"
Rebecca Mohning has a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology and a Bachelor's of Science in Dietetics from Iowa State University. She is a certified Personal Trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine. She specializes in weight management, performancenutrition, and eating disorders.
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