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5 gourmet pizza toppings more fattening than the traditional ones
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Pesto increases your fat and calories dramatically. (Sandee Bisson)
The concept of the gourmet pizza has fooled a lot of people into thinking they are eating healthier. In some ways, they are. Fresh, organic ingredients are better and usually more nutritious than processed, frozen components. Whole wheat crusts have more fiber than their bleached white counterparts. Spinach and roasted peppers are certainly better for you than crumbles of mystery meat.
Before you tie on your pizza-shaped feed bag, be aware that the good news ends here. The bad news is: some of the most popular gourmet pizza ingredients are fattier and more calorie-laden than the typical "lowbrow" pizza. Here are some of the ones that might have fooled you.
Pesto
"But it's green!" you might argue. Yes, it's green, and it's also delicious. But that delicious taste comes from three different fat sources: olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. A mere one quarter of a cup of pesto can contain 240 calories and more than 20 grams of fat. Using pesto as a sauce base for a pizza has ten times the calories and fat of traditional red sauce.
Exotic Cheeses
Strong cheeses like gorgonzola or smoky sharp cheddar tend to have more calories than your run-of-the-mill mozzarella, especially as many restaurants today use part-skim mozzarella. Fresh buffalo mozzarella sure tastes better than the shredded cheese-in-a-bag, but it also comes at a higher cost in fat. Some restaurants even offer crumbled cheeses like feta or gorgonzola as additional toppings to go on top of the mountain of cheese that's already there.
Artichokes
When is an artichoke not exactly an artichoke? When it's a marinated artichoke! If you're lucky enough to go to a pizzeria that serves fresh artichokes, you're in luck. Canned artichokes in water are also low in calories and fat. The truth is, though, that many restaurants opt for marinated artichokes simply because they keep longer. Those artichokes have been packed in oil, and you can bet they've soaked up plenty of it before they top your pie.
Chorizo
If you think pepperoni is bad, it's practically health food compared to chorizo sausage. Sure, chorizo sounds upscale, and many people love its fatty, smoky flavor, but the truth is that chorizo is the Spam of the sausage world. Made from the fattiest and mostly unwanted parts of the pig, Mexican chorizo is a ground combination of parts that include lips, lymph nodes, and salivary glands. If that's not enough to turn you off, the sodium content is sky-high.
White Sauce
There's something about a white pizza that seems so pure and pristine. What a contrast to what it can do to your arteries! Whether you call it white sauce, alfredo sauce or bechamel sauce, the base ingredients are the same: primarily butter, cream and flour, with seasonings added. Compare that to tomato sauce which is mainly tomatoes with seasonings added, and you can see the difference, nutrition-wise.
There's no reason to give up pizza entirely, and anything can be part of your healthy diet if you tread carefully, eat small portions, and exercise regularly. What matters most is being aware of what you are eating. If you're only having a slice or two of pizza, and that pizza is thick with pesto and three kinds of cheeses, it's as if you ate twice as many slices.
Healthier Choices for Pizza Toppings
- Thin and crispy crusts
- Light cheese or no cheese
- Marinara sauce or a sliced tomato base
- Non-marinated roasted red peppers
- Grilled chicken
- Spinach
- Broccoli, carrots, fresh vegetables
- Shrimp, scallops or non-fried seafood
- Fresh basil leaves
- Vegetarian meat subsitutes: tofu, tempeh
Even if you are choosing better-for-you toppings, again, keep all things in moderation. Be happy, healthy, and make safe choices.
-Liz Kelly
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