Pizza

Why This Rating?

Traditional pizza is extremely high in fat from cheese and processed meats, often containing 10-15g of fat per slice. The combination of refined carbs, saturated fats, and processed ingredients can trigger severe pancreatitis flare-ups.

Commercial pizza is classified as a 'Red' food because the combination of oil-laden dough, high-fat cheese, and greasy meats creates a perfect storm for a pancreatitis attack. However, you can prepare a 'safe' version at home. Do not use standard pizza dough, which often contains oil. Instead, use a flour tortilla, a pita bread, or a specialized fat-free crust as your base. For sauce, use a simple crushed tomato sauce or marinara that has 0g of fat (check the label carefully, as many jarred sauces add olive oil). For cheese, you must use fat-free mozzarella or a very light sprinkle of low-fat parmesan. Do not use standard mozzarella or cheddar. Load the pizza with vegetables like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. Bake at a high temperature (400°F-425°F) on a baking sheet or pizza stone until the tortilla is crisp. This 'tortilla pizza' mimics the flavor profile of pizza without the dangerous 10g-20g of fat per slice found in delivery options.

If you are eating standard delivery pizza (which is strongly discouraged), there is no safe portion size; even one slice contains enough fat to potentially trigger a sensitive pancreas. However, if you are making the homemade 'tortilla pizza' described above, you can generally eat 1-2 'pizzas' (using 8-inch tortillas) safely. This meal would result in approximately 2-4g of fat total, mostly from the trace amounts in the flour and trace oils in the cheese. Frequency for the homemade version can be regular (e.g., once a week), but standard pizza should be treated as a 'never' food or reserved for extremely rare occasions where you only take one or two bites, understanding the risk involved.

Avoid the frozen pizza aisle entirely; almost every option, even 'lean' ones, will be too high in fat or sodium. When shopping for your homemade alternative, look for fat-free shredded mozzarella (Kraft and other brands make these), low-sodium marinara sauce (read ingredients to ensure no oil is listed), and whole wheat tortillas or pita bread. Fresh basil and oregano are great additions to buy to ramp up the flavor without adding calories or fat.