The Principles of a Keto Power Pizza

Nothing quite beats a takeaway pizza, with its hot melted cheese, endless variety of toppings and ability to bring people together for a fantastic meal, and some great conversation. However, if you ever find yourself following a Ketogenic diet, then you can always accommodate it with these brilliant pizza base alternatives. They're so delicious that the whole family will be excited to try them.

Keto Pizza

When following the Ketogenic Diet you'll be looking to eat foods that are very low in carbs, high in fat and moderately high in protein. Many people follow the Keto Diet for health reasons, as it has proven benefits for both weight loss and a variety of illnesses. Unlike just following a balanced diet, getting in the state known as ketosis is an exact science. You need to deplete your body of glycogen so that your body is forced to burn fat as fuel and produce chemicals known as ketones. Around 50g of carbs per day (excluding fibre) should do the trick, however you need to be mindful of going over that number otherwise your body will come out of this fat burning state.

A keto friendly base is easy enough and works on the principle of combining a bulk ingredient and a binding ingredient. In this case, shredded chicken is used in equal quantities with mozzarella, providing a solid balance of protein and fat. Alternatively you could swap the chicken for cauliflower and put the meat on top of the pizza. In both cases the mozzarella acts as the glue that will hold everything together. You can adjust quantities to meet your own needs but as a good starting point around 350 grams of each is fine, with some salt, pepper and your choice of dried herbs.

For the sauce, you actually want to try to stay away from tomatoes, as they contain a little too much natural sugar for this type of diet, especially in a concentrated form. Fortunately there is a delicious alternative, pesto. Just like the base it blends oil, pine nuts, cheese and herbs to provide fat, protein and flavour. Spread this over the top just like tomato sauce, however you won't need it to be as thick as pesto can be quite strong.

Finally for the toppings use things like leafy greens, such as spinach) as these will add fibre, minimal carbs and lots of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Minced red meats, seafood and cheese are also great, but try not to opt for low fat or fat free dairy, as it tends to have a higher concentration of sugars.