Pizza and Ice Cream

On By Jack Forrest MD

Most of us love pizza, a rich, savory food classically piled high with tomato sauce, cheese and sausage of some sort. Memories of youth (for those who can remember that distant past,) include spending time with friends stuffing ourselves with huge quantities of this all-American food. My friend, Gary Davis, fondly recalls “sharing” pizza with friends, eating two pieces together one on top of the other, allowing faster consumption, to be sure you got at least what others did. Then, of course, there was always room for ice cream if you had any money left after buying the pizza.

It’s hard to imagine a much unhealthier meal: processed meat filled with the most unhealthy types of fat and chemicals; cheese with loads of saturated fat and salt; ice cream also loaded with unhealthy fat plus sugar. It’s amazing that any of us survived well into adulthood. Of course some have died and others survived the heart attacks, strokes and cancers these foods often lead to.

BUT pizza can be healthy and ice cream can be somewhat reasonable. Healthy pizza skips meats, cheese and added oil, replacing them all with sliced ripe avocado. Deb and I prefer the avocado added after baking but it can be put on before. We think this combination tastes every bit as good as with meat and cheese if not better. Ice cream will always be unhealthy but some additions can take it into the neutral column of foods and off the disaster list. Non-fat frozen yogurt is a big plus. The major winner is to add nuts to your ice cream. Nuts can wipe out the pro-inflammatory and vascular damaging effects of saturated fats. Imagine pizza and ice cream without having to also sign up for a coronary artery stent!

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/flashback-friday-the-effects-of-avocados-on-inflammation/

14 thoughts on “Pizza and Ice Cream”

  3. Daryl Pohl's avatar Daryl Pohl

    Ha! Good timing I just finished a large helping of mixed nuts. Thanks goodness now I can have some lapperts ice cream we’re on maui

    Daryl

    On Fri, Mar 5, 2021, 3:48 PM Jack’s What Really Matters Blog wrote:

    > Jack Forrest MD posted: ” Most of us love pizza, a rich, savory food > classically piled high with tomato sauce, cheese and sausage of some sort. > Memories of youth (for those who can remember that distant past,) include > spending time with friends stuffing ourselves with huge quanti” >

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  4. Andrew Polansky's avatar Andrew Polansky

    Great piece Jack. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been in the frozen pizza aisle at the supermarket recently. There are so many different types of crust, toppings, sizes, and styles. It has now overtaken the dairy choices as the leading cause of supermarket induced stroke in America.

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  6. Katharine K. Cline's avatar Katharine K. Cline

    Thanks Jack. I am lucky to really enjoy Avocados. I eat them like apples…..as well as in my meals.

    Hugs to you both!

    -K

    >

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  8. Dawn B's avatar Dawn B

    Avocados and icecream

    now that’s one I haven’t tried.

    I will have to do that!! I will use this next time

    I make my pizza recipe –

    I make a nut and seed crust, gently saute some veggies in a tiny bit of olive oil

    and Italian spices – for a moment or two –

    pour on the pizza crust – top with alternative cheese and bake. (olives, zuchinni, peppers, tomatoes, fresh garlic,

    artichoke hearts, and lots of fresh basil and spinach – I know you don’t eat bell peppers, but

    they are not critical)

    There are cashew cheeses that work well for us. As well as Cauliflower cheese

    which I am just now investigating as a source for cheese alternatives.

    Thanks!

    Always love your posts

    Dawn

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    1. Your pizza crust sounds amazing. When will it be in the supermarkets?
      The problem with nut cheeses is the other ingredients. Nut butter, including the legume peanut, is healthy if no other ingredients are added. Most commercial versions add sugar, salt, chemicals, sometimes oil; these are processed foods, not whole plant foods, and lose significant nutritional value. Nut cheeses are usually worse since texture and creaminess are enhanced by added oil which is often coconut, full of saturated fat. I’ve not had cauliflower cheese and know nothing about it. If it’s a commercial product I’d guess it also includes coconut oil.

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