Pizza and Diabetes: A Winning Combo?

Recently I was talking with a close friend who has diabetes. I asked him ‘what is your biggest struggle when it comes to managing your blood sugar?’

You know what he told me? ‘Lori, I’m a HUGE fan of Italian food. I love pizza…it’s by far my guiltiest pleasure.‘ He mentioned he hadn’t had pizza in years because he felt like if had one piece, it would turn into five.

And you know what? It probably would.

Because when we think we can’t have something, we want it more. 

What if we allowed ourselves to have pizza? Regularly. And often. We could even plan for it to be a part of our weekly meals. How much more would you look forward to that pizza meal and how much less would you crave other foods because you knew you were going to have it?

That’s one simple and effective approach to eating with diabetes.

It works so much better than feeling guilty about what we eat and it prevents us from feeling like we need to ‘diet’ completely different than the rest of our family and friends. I’ve seen this happen too many times, and let me tell you it simply doesn’t work.

Let’s eat what we love, and make a few small tweaks to our food to make it healthier, while still ensuring it tastes delicious.

With that in mind, my goal with creating this BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe, originally from my diabetes cookbook, was to make a better pizza that can be enjoyed by anyone… whether or not they have diabetes.

The crust is made with a three flour blend (coconut, almond, and whole wheat flour) which helps lower the carbs, while increasing the fiber and protein to make each slice much more filling. Just be sure to grab a low sugar barbecue sauce (skip the high fructose corn syrup) and serve with a salad or veggie side dish to round out the meal. 🙂

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Feel free to freeze any leftover pizza for another day. I love having a backup in the freezer for when I’m tempted to call for delivery. 🙂

What other foods do you feel are ‘off limits’ with diabetes? Please comment below and help me keep dishing up your fave recipes.

And if you haven’t already, grab my free 7 day diabetes meal plan below. It contains a meal-by-meal guide, grocery list, and bonus recipes!

 Your FREE 7 Day Diabetes Meal Plan

Pizza Photo Credit: Nadine Greeff