Pizza, this Italian dish, is winning hearts all over the world for its amazing taste and uniqueness. It has almost become a whim amongst the millennial and to be honest, who doesn’t love pizza? Almost 66% of consumers in UK prefer eating pizza at least once a month. The cheese running on top of it just makes it more delectable. Even kids eat all sorts of vegetables when topped on pizzas which they would otherwise discard. As such, pizza nights are becoming a reality of English homes. According to a survey, 14% of people said that pizza is their preferred takeaway food. But how do we ensure that these pizza nights do not end up being another reason for poor diet or adds too many calories?
Here are 10 smart tips which you can use to ensure that your pizza nights are a success:
- Thin crust Pizza
While ordering a pizza, choose one with a thin crust. Although it is not completely healthy, it is a better trade-off when compared to pizzas with thick crusts which are high on carbohydrates due to the content of the flour used. Thin crust also ensures that the toppings are thinly layered and not overstuffed as in thick crust pizzas.
2. Multigrain crust
This is another way of making the crust healthier. Instead of flour crust, choose healthier options like wheat, quinoa, flax seeds or even multi grain crusts. This will ensure that you get good nutrients from your pizza and is definitely a winner.
3. Fruits
A recent variant that has come up is pizza with fruits. It is a better dessert option as it is packed with multiple fruits which include peaches, berries and apples and can even be eaten as the meal itself.
4. Cheese
A pizza without cheese is no pizza at all. Consuming high amountsof cheese can lead to weight gain and cholesterol build up. Using lower fat variants will result in you enjoying pizza and it won’t be harmful to your body. Opt for cheese variants like goat cheese or cottage cheese which are considered healthy. Goat milk has low fat and hence the cheese is just perfect. Eat cheese as fresh as possible.
5. Small servings
A pizza night does not mean that all you eat is pizza. Instead of eating a bigger serving of pizza, try including salads and fresh fruit juices. Pizzas are generally served with aerated drinks. Aerated drinks are a big no. If you wish to drink something at all, include water or fruit juices or green tea. This way you will cut down on unwanted calories.
6. Cost
Pizzas are costly and they will make you spend a fortune. You can however make a pizza night possible in two ways. The first one is home cooked pizza which is a better and healthier version obviously. But if you do not have time to cook pizza, stores like papajohns.co.uk have a day dedicated on which there are multiple offers on pizzas. You can go ahead and choose that day of the week as the day for pizza night and can get good pizzas at cheaper rates.
7. Toppings
Toppings make the heart of a pizza. Choose toppings which are a combination of vegetables and lean meat like capsicum, tomatoes, onions, chicken, tofu or prawns. Avoid eating red meat pizzas on your pizza night as you are unaware about the quantity of pizza you might end up eating.
8. Olive oil
Olive oil is always an important ingredient in authentic Italian cuisine and there is no reason why we cannot top our pizza with a little olive oil. Olive oil has multiple health benefits and its anti oxidant nature and anti inflammatory properties are just a few on the list. Looks for pizzas that come with olive oil or you can just drizzle a little on top at home. It is better to drizzle at last rather than including it while cooking.
9. Skip the ketchup
When ketchup is cooked, it loses most of the minerals and vitamins that are present in tomatoes. Ketchup also contains high fructose corn syrup which tells our brain that we are hungry and hence we are inclined to eat more food then we would have actually eaten if we weren’t under the influence of the high fructose levels. If you are cooking pizza at home, try making a better version of homemade tomato sauce which you can use as a substitute not only with pizza but with other foods too.
10. Herbs
Pizzas contain a variety of herbs that include oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary as seasonings on the pizza. There is no hard and fast rule as to how much of these you must use but it is better to use a little of all of these as they provide unique benefits and make the pizza tastier.
Follow the above tips, give in to your cravings and believe me, you will not regret. Make everyone happy at home with these tips by making pizza nights a reality.
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