Typical pizzas are loaded with saturated fat, salt and white flour. However, at home you can make changes to improve the nutritional value while maintaining delicious flavor. Add vegetables to your pizza like red, yellow and orange sweet peppers for added fiber and nutrients, for example. Another option is to use naturally dried or roasted tomatoes and olives for flavor instead of adding salt because low-sodium foods can help control high blood pressure, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Step 1
Soak ¼ cup of fresh, minced garlic and ¼ cup of diced onions, with dried herbs -- 2 tsp. each of thyme, herbs de Provence, basil, oregano and parsley -- in extra virgin olive oil for two days. Strain out the solids and save the two components separately. The oil can be used to make the crust and the herbs can be sprinkled over your cooked pizza; uncooked garlic is rich in a compound that may help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Step 2
Substitute the white-flour crust for a crust made with whole-wheat flour. Buy a ready-made whole-wheat crust, make a crust by hand or use a bread-making machine. Begin by replacing one-third of the white flour with wheat flour for your first batch of pizza crust; gradually increase the proportion of wheat flour to suit your taste, during subsequent pizza-making endeavors.
Step 3
Replace vegetable oil with the herb-infused extra virgin olive oil in the dough recipe, for brushing the pan and for brushing the top of your dough; extra virgin olive oil is rich in healthy, monounsaturated fat that raises your good cholesterol level while decreasing your bad cholesterol level, according to a 2007 article by registered dietitian Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., published in the "Health & Fitness Journal."
Step 4
Use low-fat cheese and/or decrease the amount of cheese you sprinkle on your pizza, reducing the amount of saturated fat; saturated fat from plants and animals raise your bad cholesterol levels more than any other food compound, according to Dr. Brill.
Step 5
Make your pizza with lean cuts of meat such as turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni, Canadian bacon, chicken breast and very-lean beef. Dice or chop your meats into smaller-than-average sizes to cover more of your pizza without added fat and calories. Saute, crisp and season your meats before putting them on your pizza, draining the excess fat.
Tips and Warnings
- Roll your crust out slightly thinner then a normal pizza. Make extra pizzas you can freeze then bake on other occasions.
Things You'll Need
- Whole-wheat crust
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Herbs
- Garlic
- Dried tomatoes
- Olives
- Lean meats
- Sweet peppers
- Saute pan
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Low Sodium Diet Guidelines http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/nutrition/hic_low-sodium_diet_guidelines.aspx
- Linus Pauling Institute: Garlic and Organosulfur Compounds
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Eat Like You're in Crete: Teach Your Clients the Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet; Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D.; September/October 2007
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