Challenge Yourself to Choose a Better Pizza!

Katy G. Wilkens, Northwest Kidney Centers Registered Dietitian

Ask any five people to name their favorite food and, chances are, one or two will answer, "Pizza!" This Italian invader has overtaken the hamburger as American's favorite fast food. But how do you enjoy this great one-dish meal when you're trying to limit salt to a healthy 2,000 milligrams (mg) each day? A slice of pizza can have up to 800 mg of sodium; most weigh in at about 350 mg to 500 mg a slice. If you eat two slices, there goes half the salt you need for the entire day! Here are some guidelines for ordering. 

Avoid salted meats and other high-salt toppings, such as pepperoni, Canadian bacon, barbecue chicken, Italian sausage, anchovies, taco meat, olives and bacon. And by the way, sauerkraut is another topping to avoid. (Yes, some people put sauerkraut on their pizza!) 

Go veggie. At any pizza place, the best choice is almost always the vegetarian pizza, because you can avoid the high-salt toppings mentioned above. If you do order meat on your pie, try fresh ground beef (not spiced). Fresh chicken, not marinated, is a good option too, as is shrimp. Other great healthy, low-salt choices are green or red peppers, fresh mushrooms, onions, fresh garlic, roasted garlic, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, sprouts, fresh basil, diced tomatoes, pineapple, sun-dried tomato, artichoke hearts, jalapenos, tzatziki sauce, roasted red peppers, roasted potatoes, capers, pine nuts and walnuts.

As for cheeses, the lowest-sodium cheese is usually swiss, followed by goat cheese, then mozzarella, then provolone. Feta, blue cheese and gorgonzola are next in the sodium ranking. At 433 mg of sodium/ounce, parmesan is the saltiest cheese, but a little goes a long way. Ask for just a tablespoon or two. 

The best sauce to choose is usually a red if it's made in-house, and pesto if not. White sauces are OK if they are made by the pizzeria. But chances are they are purchased packaged and will be highly salted, so ask for tzatziki sauce instead. Thai peanut sauce is a "maybe." Ask if the cooks can leave out the fish sauce.

If you really want to cut down on salt, try a pizza challenge! You can make the pizza below faster than your local pizza guy can deliver it, for a quarter of the cost and a tenth of the sodium. 

Pizza Challenge Pizza

2 envelopes quick-acting yeast
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup lukewarm water for yeast
1 cup lukewarm water for flour
3½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle the yeast and pinch of sugar into ¼ cup lukewarm water. Stir in until completely dissolved. Set in warm place for 3 to 5 minutes, or cover with a clean towel, until the yeast bubbles up and mixture doubles in volume.

Measure the flour, make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, 1 cup lukewarm water and olive oil. Mix the dough with a fork or your fingers until a rough ball forms; add more flour if dough remains sticky. Knead on a floured board for about 5 minutes. Dust the dough lightly with flour, place in a large clean bowl and cover. Set in a warm draft-free spot for about 10 minutes while you get toppings ready. Punch down and divide into three parts, and roll out. Add toppings. Bake 8-12 minutes.

For a quick, low-salt sauce, mix fresh or dried oregano, parsley and basil with 1 can tomato paste and thin with a little water.

Nutrient Facts:
One serving of about 2 large pieces 
Calories: 176
Carbohydrates: 18 grams (g)
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 8 g
Sodium: 70 mg

Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. She has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington.