Can A Diabetic Eat Pizza?

Introduction

In this busy life, often people don’t have time to eat breakfast, or carry homemade food while leaving for job. Fast food is one of the readily available, and convenient option that saves their time, and energy both. But when you are a diabetic, you need to be very careful when including any food in your meal. Most of the fast foods that are served on the streets are high in quick digesting carbs, and sugar that are a strict no for a diabetic.

Can A Diabetic Eat Pizza

However, there is no need to fret as there are a few tactics by which you can make it diabetic-friendly and healthy for you. One of these fast foods is Pizza. With a little knowledge and skill, you can turn this fast food to be a must-to-include dish in a diabetic meal.  Let us see how you can do it.

Diabetes Diet

Diabetics are normally advised to refrain from eating junk, and processed foods as they can trigger sudden increase in glucose levels in the bloodstream. Pizza is one of the junk foods that is considered to be harmful for the health of diabetic.  Regular pizzas are not permitted for consumption as it is more in calories, high in salt and made with refined flour, and cheese. All these things make it a high GI food, that is not recommended for a diabetic.

However, by introducing little changes in the preparation of your pizza, you can consume your favorite fast food without risking your health. These little and healthy changes can go a long way to reduce the glycemic indexes of a number of dishes. These ways will help you prepare pizzas that conforms to the requirements of a diabetes meal.

Tips to remember when planning to enjoy your favorite pizza

There are a few essential and easy alterations in preparation of pizza. By sticking to these tips, you can enjoy pizza without any worries.

  • Different types of Pizza bases are used to prepare a pizza. Users can choose the preferred base of their choice. A diabetic should order the “thin-crust pizza base” and choose to top it with different types of vegetables.
  • Go for whole wheat crust, or multigrain crust as it has low GI that is good for diabetic
  • Make sure that your pizza contain cheese in low amounts as it is high in fat and can increase your sugar levels rapidly.
  • Try to stick with vegetarian topping and refrain from high-fat meats. Avoid topping it with fried meats, or fried fish. In place of it, you can choose grilled form of low-fat lean meat.
  • It is advised to order a single burger, in place of triple, or double patties. It is advised to opt for turkey, chicken, or vegetarian burgers over beef burgers.
  • Onions, tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, corns, lettuce, salsa, avocado, some cottage cheese, red chilies, is good choices to consider for topping.
  • Watch your portion size. If it is snack time, then you should content with one or two slices of it.
  • Another good way to eat pizza is with a healthy side salad with veggies of your choice. A salad of beet root, celery, cucumber, nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, beans, spinach with a seasoning of olive oil and oregano makes it delicious, and a perfect balanced meal. Avoid high fat sauces, dressings, mayonnaise, mustard sauce etc. as they are loaded with calories. The effect of inclusion of side salad is that your body will get more fiber, that will manage blood sugar levels in the body.
  • If you are in a restaurant then opt for high fiber, low calorie, low cholesterol, low salt, low sugar and unprocessed food options in the menu.
  • Never order a jumbo size pizza. If you find that the size of the pizza slices is larger than the basic pizza slice, then it is advised to cut down on portion size so that you don’t consume too much calories.
  • Be watchful of the timing at which you plan to eat Pizza: According to doctors, diabetics should consider pizza as a full-fledged whole meal, and not a snack. The ideal way to consume it is in lunch in place of your regular meal.

Conclusion

Diet plays a major role when you are managing difficult symptoms of diabetes. Making smart food selection can assist a lot to reduce weight and regulate your blood sugar levels. Sticking to grilled meats, whole-wheat tortillas, and plenty of vegetables can make your pizza nutritious, and healthy. Ensure that you talk to your nutritionist prior to adding or removing anything from your diabetes diet.