8 Nutritionist-Approved Ways to Order in a Healthier Pizza

Being confined at home means, battling the hunger pangs. But it’s Friday and you feel like you have earned yourself a pizza slice. Totally justified, but what about the guilt trip that you will take off on as soon as you finish the last slice of the cheesy treat? 
“Well, you can skip the guilt”, says Lovneet Batra, clinical nutritionist and founder of Nutrition by Lovneet. You can make your pizza healthier by ordering the right base, toppings and cheese. Read on and thank us later. 

1. Order thin crust instead of deep dish
“This one step cuts your calories to half,” says Batra. Stuffed crust pizzas are to be avoided too. “Thin crust vs stuffed, there is almost 150 calories difference per slice,” adds Batra. So do the maths.  

2. Go easy on the cheese
Opt for fresh mozzarella instead of cheddar as it is lower in sodium. “There’s 120 calorie difference per 100g of mozzarella vs. cheddar,” says Batra. Feta, ricotta or goat’s cheese are also other good lower fat cheese options. You can also request for half portion of cheese. This would save extra saturated fat and calories. 

3. Load up on veggies
Yes, you heard us right. Add all the veggies that’s on offer tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives. This would help to increase your nutrient intake without ruining the taste. Adding spinachand rocket will also give you an extra nutrient hit.

4. Avoid certain toppings
Stay away from fatty sausages and pepperoni, extra cheese and creamy sauces. This will keep the amount of fat and calories you're consuming in check. “With sausage toppings you add 100 calories extra per slice compared to veggies,” says Batra.

5. Don’t eat from the takeaway box
It’s difficult to keep track of the portions that you eat. Try and eat from a smaller plate, it tricks your brain into thinking you have eaten more. Batra suggest you shouldn’t go beyond two slices.

6. Cut smaller slices 
This works in the same as the smaller plate. Trick your brain to curb binging.

7. Remove the excess oil
Use a tissue paper to take off some oil. Pizza chains mostly use a hard cheese which releases a lot of oil when the pizza is baked. Each teaspoon of oil has about 40kcal and 4.5g of fat. A tissue paper will soak in the extra oil. 

8. Always pair it with a bowl of fresh veggies or homemade soup
Batra says this will help you fill up in a healthier way and  stop you from eating the extra slice.