Low-carbohydrate diets focus on consumption of protein and healthy, monounsaturated fats. They limit consumption of simple carbs such as refined pasta, white rice, starchy vegetables and white breads. Commercial pizza may be an American restaurant staple and a delight to your taste buds, but the dough is most often white bread and that is not the only reason it is a "no-no" on low-carb diets. However, you may be able to make a diet-friendly alternative to commercial and frozen pizzas at home by substituting certain ingredients.
Low-Carb Diet General Guidelines
Low-carbohydrate diets are generally the most restrictive during their first few weeks, when carbohydrate intake is limited to approximately 20 g per day. Most carbohydrates are restricted in the initial phases of low-carb diets, including complex carbohydrates such as all whole wheat breads, pastas and rice. When you reach the next phase of the diet, complex carbohydrates are reintroduced and you are allowed to consume slightly more carbs. Low-carb diets encourage you to continue the diet program for life in order to maintain your weight loss.
Increased Blood Sugar
Simple carbohydrates send your blood sugar soaring, which is what low-carb diets aim to prevent. A typical hand-tossed slice of pepperoni pizza crust contains approximately 39 g of simple carbohydrates. Pizza also generally contains 5 g to 10 g of sugar from the tomato sauce, so your blood sugar will shoot up when you eat a slice or two of pizza. When your blood glucose levels rise, your insulin levels also rise. Insulin helps your body use calories as energy and store unneeded calories as fat for future use. This leads to weight gain and retention.
Unhealthy Fats
Popular fast food pizza restaurants generally use hydrogenated cooking oils in their pizzas, which is trans fat. Frozen pizzas usually contain hydrogenated oils as well. Low-carb diets recommend consumption of healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and heart-healthy fats found in cooking oils such as extra virgin olive oil. Trans fat is not only hazardous to your waistline, it is also harmful to your health. MayoClinic.com states that trans fat is double trouble for your health because it lowers your healthy cholesterol and raises your bad cholesterol. Additionally, many of the toppings on commercial pizzas are generally low-quality and contain trans or saturated fat such as pepperoni and sausage. The cheeses used on commercial pizzas usually contain saturated fat as well.
Healthy Alternatives
You can make healthy pizza at home while adhering to your low-carb diet. Replace white pizza dough with whole wheat dough or whole wheat tortillas. These options provide complex carbohydrates, rather than simple carbs. Make a grilled tomato, arugula, and feta cheese pizza that will satisfy your appetite and diet because it only contains 22 g of complex carbohydrates, 190 calories and 8 g of fat. This recipe calls for whole-wheat tortillas, thinly sliced plum tomatoes, reduced-fat feta cheese, minced garlic, thinly sliced fresh basil, baby arugula, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.
References
- MayoClinic: Low-Carb Diet
- USDA National Nutrient Database: DOMINO'S 14" Pepperoni Pizza, Classic Hand-Tossed Crust
- American Heart Association: Prepared Foods & Mixes without Trans Fat
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Pizza, cheese topping, regular crust, frozen, cooked
- South Beach Diet: Grilled Tomato, Arugula, and Feta Cheese Pizza
- MayoClinic: Atkins Diet: What's Behind the Claims
Member Comments