The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies (63 page)

Building a healthy pizza

Pizza can actually be a low-glycemic meal option, but with its white-flour crust, melted cheese, and high-fat meats, it can add up in calories and fat fast, leaving your weight-loss efforts in the dust. Following are some tips for making over pizza so it can be a truly beneficial part of a low-glycemic diet:

Choose a lower-fat crust.
Thin- or regular-crust pizzas are a better choice than pan pizzas because pan pizzas have more fat added to the crust. That extra fat may make the crust richer and, well, crusty, but it also adds about 80 more calories per slice.

Avoid cream and oil- or pesto-based sauces.
Many gourmet pizzas these days offer a variety of sauces that can quickly add up in calories and fat. Stick with a traditional tomato sauce to avoid those additional calories.

Stick to the small size.
Have you ever noticed that your pizza slice is a different size at different restaurants? This observation is so important because one slice of pizza at your favorite pizza parlor may actually be two servings. One medium slice of pizza should be around 6 inches long. No need to break out the ruler, but do be aware of how big your slices are.

Have a side dish.
Traditionally, when you eat pizza, that's all you eat for the entire meal, which can lead to excess calories thanks to large portion sizes. Order a side salad with your pizza so you can eat fewer servings of pizza and still have a complete meal. Having a side salad rather than an extra slice of pizza saves you around 100 calories.

Avoid the high-fat toppings.
Pepperoni and sausage contribute a significant amount of calories and saturated fat to pizza. Choosing Canadian bacon, vegetables, or ju plain cheese is one of the best ways to keep your pizza on the healthy side.

Don't add extra high-fat toppings.
Opting for extra meats and cheese (think meat lovers' pizzas or five-cheese pizzas) adds anywhere from 50 to 100 extra calories per slice.

Here's an example of a pizza meal makeover so you can see how to put the preceding tips into action:

Original pizza dinner

3 slices of pan pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni

12-ounce soda

Nutrition facts: 1,140 calories, 48 grams fat, 18 grams saturated fat

Pizza dinner makeover

2 slices of thin-crust pizza with tomatoes and mushrooms

1 side salad with ranch dressing

Water

Nutrition facts: 470 calories, 17 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat

Making a few simple changes to your pizza routine can help you manage all of your health goals and also allow you to have some fun foods now and then.