5 Healthier Alternatives to Traditional Pizza (2024)

FAQs

5 Healthier Alternatives to Traditional Pizza? ›

If you are looking for some ways to enjoy pizza in a healthier way, whether you're ordering it out or making it at home, here are some tips, according to dietitians: Choose thin crust. Look for whole-grain or vegetable-based crusts. Skip the meat—or opt for leaner meats, like chicken or shrimp.

If you are looking for some ways to enjoy pizza in a healthier way, whether you're ordering it out or making it at home, here are some tips, according to dietitians: Choose thin crust. Look for whole-grain or vegetable-based crusts. Skip the meat—or opt for leaner meats, like chicken or shrimp.

Traditional style pizza is a relatively simple food, made with flour, yeast, water, salt, oil, tomato sauce and fresh cheese. Pizza made from scratch using these limited ingredients can be quite healthy.

Many pizzas can be high in calories, which can lead to weight gain. Many pizzas from restaurants and fast food places can contain processed meats like pepperoni, along with sauces that are laden with added sugar and salt. These ingredients can contribute to weight gain and have negative effects on your health.

Basil pesto – A great starting point for experimentation with pizza sauce alternatives. The paste-like substance is typically made of crushed fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt and hard cheese like parmesan. While basil is used most often, there's nothing to stop you from crushing a different herb.

Ultimately, white pizza isn't necessarily healthier than red. While skipping the sauce could save on calories and sodium, the extra cheese and oil substituted in a white pizza can be just as bad. But if you suffer from reflux or other gastric issues, white pizza might be the better choice.

Thin crust pizza – or even better, whole wheat thin crust pizza – is a far healthier choice than deep dish or stuffed crust. A slice of thick crust pizza, according to the USDA nutritional database, has 312 calories versus thin crust of 285 – and 12 grams of fat compared with 10 for thin crust.

Did you know that a standard calzone has over 1000 calories? On the other hand, a slice of pizza is around 300 calories. So just because they're technically the same in terms of ingredients and taste, they're not! A calzone can equal 3 slices of pizza so choose wisely!

What is healthier, pizza or pasta? ›

One slice of cheese pizza has fewer carbs than one cup of cooked spaghetti – 36 grams in a typical cheese pizza versus 43 grams in one cup of pasta. However, pizza has more calories than pasta, 285 in a slice of pizza versus 220 in a cup of cooked pasta.

Both the cauliflower crust and the whole-wheat crust offer fiber and protein, which play a key role in weight loss by helping to keep you feeling full and satisfied after a meal. But if you're not trying to cut carbs and are looking for that traditional pizza pie flavor, the whole-wheat crust is what you want.

As an alternative to my homemade pizza sauce you can use barbecue sauce, marinara sauce or even white sauce. Replace ham with your favorite protein, such as chicken breast, sliced turkey, salami, bacon or tuna. Or opt for plant based options such as smoked tofu, vegan meat and sliced seitan.

Save time by swapping your regular pizza dough for simple substitutes. Our alternative bases include pitta bread, naan, puff pastry, wraps and polenta. Whether you're short of flour or don't have time to make a pizza base, we've compiled 10 simple shortcuts using shop-bought substitutes.

Both the cauliflower crust and the whole-wheat crust offer fiber and protein, which play a key role in weight loss by helping to keep you feeling full and satisfied after a meal. But if you're not trying to cut carbs and are looking for that traditional pizza pie flavor, the whole-wheat crust is what you want.

While the latter holds true for most foods, pizza does not always need to be junk food. In fact, even people on diets can eat pizza and remain in shape. Pizza lovers do not need to compromise on their happiness to stay fit, and there have even been many instances of people losing weight while on an all-pizza diet.