Be Selective When Choosing Frozen Pizza

Pizza is not a healthy food, but there are healthier choices available today, such as pizza with cauliflower crust and vegetable toppings. 

“When cauliflower is replacing flour in a crust, it can make the pizza lower in calories, higher in fiber and protein, and lower in carbohydrates,” explains Morgan Dickison, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center. Also, “it’s an easy way to get an extra serving of vegetables,” she says. “However, you have to be cautious because even though many brands now have the cauliflower label on them, one of the first ingredients listed is still flour. Look for options that have cauliflower as the first ingredient; for example Cali’flour Foods pizza crust.”

Portioning

“A good rule of thumb is to stick to a 250-300 calorie portion, which will allow for either adding your own fresh vegetables on top and/or adding a side salad,” Dickison says. “Consuming a salad with fiber before having the carbohydrates from pizza will help slow the rise in blood sugar, achieving a lower glycemic response from the meal. This will help control blood sugar and keep you full longer.” Also, “sticking with thin crust is a good way to cut down on carbs and calories, while still feeling like you can have a couple pieces.”

Beware of the Sodium Count

Just because one brand’s pizza flavor has low sodium, it doesn’t mean that all of that brand’s other flavors will as well. For instance, a flavor with meat will have significantly more sodium than a flavor with vegetables. Consider DiGiorno’s Thin & Crispy Garden Vegetable, which has 380 milligrams (mg) of sodium in a ⅓ pie serving, while DiGiorno’s Classic Thin Crust Pepperoni has 730 mg. The sodium in Amy’s vegan pizzas didn’t make our list because sodium counts were in the 600s.

Any processed/packaged food can be a high source of sodium, so “balance the meal with some whole, unprocessed foods,” Dickison suggests. Cali’flour Foods, whose pizza crusts are made with cauliflower, are a healthy, wholesome choice in many ways. However, their sodium is 570 mg per serving, so be sure to balance that with lower-sodium foods the rest of the day.  

“Sticking with whole, unprocessed foods is the easiest way to cut down on sodium intake,” Dickison says. “Using a frozen pizza crust could account for some of the convenience of having frozen pizza, but if you add your own sauce and cheese, you have more control over the sodium content in the sauce, the sauce portioning, the type (low-fat) and the cheese portion.” Adding your own vegetables also increases the freshness and reduces the amount of the pizza that is processed.

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