1. The Components of Pizza
A pizza is broadly composed of the dough (crust), sauce, cheese, and various toppings. The vegetables, mushrooms, or lean meats used as toppings can be healthy ingredients. However, for a person with diabetes, pizza is considered one of the worst foods for blood sugar management.
2. The Main Culprits Affecting Blood Sugar
– The Dough: The base of the pizza, the dough, is mostly made from ‘refined white flour,’ which spikes blood sugar. The dough from just one slice of pizza can contain carbohydrates equivalent to 1-2 slices of sandwich bread.
– The Tomato Sauce: The tomato sauce widely used on pizza often contains added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup to enhance its sweetness.
– Cheese and Processed Meat Toppings: Toppings like cheese, pepperoni, and bacon are very high in calories and ‘saturated fat,’ which is not good for vascular health.
3. The Dangerous Combination of ‘Carbs + Fat’
Consequently, pizza is a representative combination of ‘refined carbohydrates (dough)’ and ‘fat (cheese, oily toppings).’ This combination, similar to croissants or fried rice, is very likely to cause ‘delayed hyperglycemia,’ where blood sugar spikes unpredictably 3-4 hours after the meal because the fat slows down carbohydrate digestion. This makes blood sugar control even more challenging.
Summary: Even if a pizza has some healthy ingredients as toppings, the base dough itself is a large amount of refined carbohydrate, and the sugar and fat content of the sauce and cheese is also high, making it a very harmful food for blood sugar management. The impact of the dough should never be underestimated.
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