We all want pizza. We crave the carbs, fat and salt. Can it ever be healthy? Here's looking at you kid. The pizza in the photo is made from a cauliflower crust.
Traditional pizza is the holy trinity of food allergies - gluten, yeast, dairy and nightshades. And it is fertile food for turning on the obesogenes.
Is pizza that bad? They studied kids and found that when they ate pizza they increased their saturated fat by 3 - 5 grams and sodium intake ranged from 134 mg - 484 mg. Pizza from the local pizza shop added another 323 kcalories for adolescents.
Why is the discussion of pizza so important?
One out of 20 kids has high blood pressure. A nutritional survey found that more than a fifth of younger children and adolescents consumed pizza on any given day in 2009-2010. That doesn't include pizza birthday parties, pizza after sports and teens hanging out eating pizza.
We can keep the idea of pizza, but we need to change the ingredients. Traditional pizza is missing fiber. Healthy pizza has more vegetables and less cheese or has dairy-free alternatives. You can either blend in or pulverize some chia, flax and hemp seeds to put into the crust.
Don't forget to book your free personalized nutrition session. Go to www.personalogix.com. Use my passcode SECOND NATURE and GUGGENHEIM. Get your detailed health report and a phone consult with me. Second Nature Care Nutrition.
Here are some recipes from PaleoSecrets
Paleo Pizza
with cauliflower crust
Ingredients: one large cauliflower, two eggs, a few tablespoons of olive oil, basil and oregano, one large tomato, one red pepper, green onions, a handful of green olives, a few prosciutto slices.
- Cut the cauliflower in small bouquets and rinse them well. Put two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Put the cauliflower in the pan, pour a glass of water on top, cover the pan and let it boil for 20 minutes.
- Take the top off from the pan and cook the cauliflower until all the water evaporates. It’s very important to let the cauliflower on the stove until there is no water or juices left in the pan.
- Put the cauliflower in the food processor and give it a few spins. Add the two eggs and mix the composition very well.
- Start preheating the oven. Take a pizza pan, put some parchment paper in the pan and grease the paper with a few drops of olive oil.
- Put the cauliflower composition in the pan and spread it regularly – form a layer that has the same thickness on the entire surface of the pan.
- Cook the crust for 20 minutes, at medium heat.
- Cut the tomato and the pepper in very thin slices. Chop the green onions.
- Take the crust from the oven, put the toppings: tomato and pepper slices, green onions, prosciutto and green olives. Sprinkle some basil and oregano on top.
- Put the pan back in the oven, for another 10 or 15 minutes. Eat the pizza while still hot. Enjoy!
Almond meal paleo pizza
Ingredients: three large eggs, thee tablespoons of almonds meal, a handful of dried tomatoes, one red pepper, a few slices of good quality ham, a few cloves of garlic, some green onions, basil, oregano and black pepper.
- Chop all vegetables, including the dried tomatoes. Cut the ham in dices.
- Start preheating the oven.
- Put the three eggs in a food processor and beat them well, until they double the volume. Add the almonds meal.
- Pour the rest of the ingredients (the ham and the vegetables) in the eggs and almonds meal composition. Sprinkle some basil, oregano and black pepper. Mix all the ingredients very well.
- Take a medium pizza pan and grease it with a few drops of olive oil. Pour the composition in the pan and spread it regularly.
- Bake the pizza for about 40 minutes at medium temperature. You can have it hot or cold. Enjoy!
Here's one more recipe with goat cheese.
- 4 cups raw cauliflower rice (about one medium head)
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅓ cup soft goat cheese (chevre)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of salt
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.
- Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the "rice" and cover; let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.
- THIS IS THE SECRET: Once you've strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! It's amazing how much extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.
- In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices. (Don't be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won't be like any pizza dough you've ever worked with, but don't worry-- it'll hold together!
- Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It's important that it's lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about ⅓" thick, and make the edges a little higher for a "crust" effect, if you like.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400F. The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished.
- Now's the time to add all your favorites-- sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like. Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Slice and serve immediately!
