Diabetic- and Kidney-Friendly Pizza

A typical pizza is generally labeled as high fat, high carbohydrate, and high salt treat food. However, if you search "healthy pizza recipe", you can actually find a good list of recipes.

There are many ways to enjoy pizza in a more healthier manner. In fact, there is no "good" or "bad" food; rather it really depends on how you prepare the food,  how much you have at a time, the combination of food you have, and your health condition. 

Now, eating pizza can be tricky for someone who has diabetes or chronic kidney disease: you are most likely be advised to stay away from a typical pizza. Why? For someone with diabetes, they will most likely consume too much carbohydrate their body can handle at a time. Meanwhile, for someone with chronic kidney disease, depending on the stage, they will consume too much animal protein, in particular processed meat (eg. ham, pepperoni) which has high salt and phosphate content.

The question is, would someone with diabetes or chronic kidney disease never ever enjoy pizza again? The answer is NO. You still can enjoy pizza, but in a different manner. This is when involving a dietitian can be very helpful to provide a tailored dietary support according to your condition. For someone with chronic kidney disease, it is more appropriate to find a dietitian with special interest in kidney disease. This is important as they will be able to guide you according to the stages you are and your blood test results.

Today, I would like to share a pizza recipe which is diabetic- and kidney-friendly. This version of pizza base has lower carbohydrate content with added plant protein and spring onion. To increase vegetable and fiber intake, I always fill 1/2 of the plate with non-starchy vegetables. As the weather is getting colder, I choose to make a quick warm salad to increase vegetable intake. I microwaved broccoli floret for 3-5 minutes and then added in shredded red cabbage.

Nutrition information (per serving): Energy: 1273kJ, Protein: 14g, Carbohydrate: 25.8g, Fiber: 5g, Fat: 14.7g, Phosphorus: 100.5mg, Potassium: 220.9mg, Sodium: 292mg