Cravings for junk food like pizza during pregnancy are nothing new. In fact, most pregnant ladies, irrespective of the fact that they are fitness lovers or not, love to cheat on themselves for their diet plan during this overwhelming phase of nine months.
Pizzas are not amongst the healthiest food to be consumed during pregnancy or even after those nine beautiful months. But during pregnancy, our heart rules our minds more often and we have to sometimes give up the need for our cheesy cravings. So it’s good to learn in advance – Is it safe to eat pizza during pregnancy?
In This Article
- Is Pizza Safe During Pregnancy?
- Better Ways of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
- Factors To Be Considered When Craving Pizza
- Advantages of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
- Disadvantages of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
- Safe And Unsafe Pizza Toppings
- FAQ’s
Is Pizza Safe During Pregnancy?
Yes, as long one has the right kind of pizza with all the right toppings and also not on a frequent basis. We will be explaining which all toppings should one avoid when eating pizza at this time. However, the most important point to be noted here is to avoid the kind of pizzas that are not freshly prepared or are prepared in an unclean or unhealthy environment.
Better Ways of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
Following are some better ways to eat pizza during pregnancy:
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Top it with Vegetables
If you are fussy with veggies during pregnancy, using them as pizza toppings is a good way to intake healthy vegetables on the base of your cheesy crust. This way you will be able to satiate your craving and intake the nutrition factor too.
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Whole Wheat Pizza Base
Instead of going for the regular pizza base, eat the pizza made out of extra fibrous whole wheat flour.
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Hard Cheese Toppings
Hard cheese and soft processed cheese are good sources of calcium and protein as long as you have them in the right proportion.
Factors To Be Considered When Craving Pizza
The following are some factors to consider while opting for pizza during pregnancy:
- If opting for home-cooked pizza, confirm the cleanliness of your hands, workstation, and utensils to be used.
- Make use of pasteurized milk cheese only. Confirm the kind of cheese used, if going to pizza from a restaurant.
- Eat pizza when hot. Cold pizza is not good to eat. Reheat the pizza if it gets cold.
- Avoid street-side pizzas.
- Check if the pizza is properly cooked or not before consuming it.
- Satisfy your pizza craving with one or two slices only. Overeating is not advisable.
Advantages of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
Eating pizza has some advantages as well. Following are some of the advantages of eating pizza during pregnancy:
- Pizza does contain some of the required nutrients and vitamins when topped with fresh ingredients.
- Pizza sauces containing vitamins C and A are good during pregnancy.
- The tomatoes present in the sauce consist of the antioxidant lycopene, which reduces the chance of developing cancer.
- A thin-crust whole wheat base is beneficial. It’s fibrous.
- If part-skim mozzarella cheese is used, it does provide bone-building calcium and protein.
Disadvantages of Eating Pizza During Pregnancy
Following are some cons of eating pizza while pregnant.
- Certain pizzas are topped with cheeses like Danish blue, camembert, and brie. These cheeses contain mold-ripened bacteria, which consists of illness-causing bacteria called listeria. Listeria might lead to miscarriages in certain cases.
- Fully loaded or extra-loaded cheese on pizza will add to the extra calories, which might be dangerous if you are overweight.
- Sometimes, gastric problems aggravate during pregnancy. And eating pizza might boost such concerns.
- Gestational diabetes should not be overlooked when craving pizza.
- Semi-cooked, raw, or not properly cooked pizza might lead to an infectious disease called toxoplasmosis.
Safe And Unsafe Pizza Toppings
If you wish to have a meat topping pizza with any of the following toppings, like pepperoni, prosciutto, ham pieces, sausage or ground beef or pork, chorizo, or salami, make sure that the meat is properly cooked. Cold meat is not safe during pregnancy.
- Fresh vegetable and fruit toppings are always a good choice when craving pizza during pregnancy. It is safe to have pineapple topping too, provided it’s steaming hot.
- Certain Italian pizzas and breakfast pizzas have a runny egg yolk over them. Avoid such pizzas.
- Mushrooms are a safe and healthy topping for pizza, provided they are properly cooked.
- Pizza cheese like mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese is safe to consume during pregnancy.But avoid the following types of cheese during pregnancy:
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- Unpasteurized or soft cheese such as brie
- Ricotta (if made with unpasteurized milk)
- Soft, blue-veined cheeses like gorgonzola
- Soft goat cheese (chevre)
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Frozen pizza is also safe to rate during pregnancy, provided it is properly cooked first. This is because the chance of bacteria survival on frozen pizzas is very less or negligible. So if you are eating frozen pizza during pregnancy, ensure that you follow every direction provided by the given brand before consumption. Stay healthy! Stay cheesy!
FAQ’s
1. Does Pizza Have Ajinomoto?
A considerable number of non-vegetarian pizzas, including those from well-established chains, are known to contain Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer commonly present in various unhealthy food items. The irresistible quality of pizzas can be attributed to the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
2. Is Cheese Safe In Pregnancy?
Soft cheeses should be avoided during pregnancy. Hard cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, and edam are safe to consume. Because of their higher acidity levels, bacteria have a harder time growing in hard cheeses than they do in soft cheeses.
3. Is Pizza A Normal Pregnancy Craving?
Many women including celebrities revealed they had major pizza cravings during their pregnancies. So, Yes. Savory or salty high-calorie foods, such as pizza comes under normal pregnancy cravings.
