From the April 2011 issue of Runner’s World

Feel good creating (and eating!) tasty, low-fat pizza

By Liz Applegate

Runners love pizza so much that most eat about one medium pizza every month. Trouble is, many are high-fat disasters with few nutritionally redeeming qualities. One solution? Make your own at home and load it with good-for-you ingredients. Choose your crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings, then assemble the pizza on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 220ºC for 10 to 15 minutes.

Choose Your Crust
Making your own dough is easy but look for uncooked dough in your supermarket’s fridge or freezer section for an even quicker option. Or use pre-baked options, like focaccia, naan or wholemeal pita. Pizza dough will keep in the freezer for several months so you can always have some on hand.

Spread on the Sauce
Tomato paste and pizza sauce are rich in lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant. One study found eating a red-sauce pizza every week can lower your risk for certain cancers. Sachets are good for individual servings to avoid waste. Or spread on a thin layer of pesto or BBQ sauce.

Be Cheese Savvy
Shredded, low fat mozzarella has just 300 kilojoules, four grams of fat, and 20 per cent of your daily calcium needs per 28 grams. A tablespoon of Parmesan adds big flavour with only 88 kilojoules. Or give your pizza a Greek touch with low fat feta cheese. Cheese goes on the bottom, not the top!

Select Your Protein Source
Choose lean options, such as grilled or skinless BBQ chicken, baby shrimp, turkey or low fat leg ham – all provide about 40 per cent of your daily protein needs. Or go meatless and add tofu or ground kidney beans.

Pile on Vegetables
Vegetables are low-kilojoule and nutrient-rich, so add as many as you like. Chop raw veggies into small pieces so they cook faster, or lightly sauté them to shorten cooking time and prevent the pizza from getting soggy. Roasted veggies like pumpkin and capsicum add extra flavour and colour.

Add Finishing Touches
Give your pizza extra pizzazz: Add chilli or sprinkle with fresh herbs in the last few minutes of baking. Finish with a drizzle of olive or sesame oil for heart-healthy flavour.

PIZZA SAUCE

Ingredients
5 seeded Roma tomatoes
1/2 small white onion
1/4 cup fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
Garlic to taste
Oregano to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Place ingredients in food processor; blend until smooth. In a pan, simmer sauce for 15 minutes. Spread 1/2 to 3/4 cup on a 30-centimetre crust.

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