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Pita Pizza – A Simple Dinner Recipe

Nutrition Bites | Week 20

Welcome to Week 20 of Nutrition Bites. This week we will be focusing on a fun, simple dinner recipe, Pita Pizza! It is one of my favorites to throw together on a busy weeknight and it is packed with lots of vegetables. We will also be discussing the benefits of a varied diet, along with some tips to “Taste the Rainbow.” Let’s jump in!

Pita Pizza

Ingredients:

• 4 whole wheat pitas
• 1 jar of pizza sauce
• ½ cup olives, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• ½ an onion, sliced
• 1 small jar of artichoke hearts
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400℉.
• Place pitas on to a baking sheet and spread pizza sauce onto pitas.
• Divide all veggies evenly among pitas.
• Place pitas in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Reasons to Add Variety

There are tons of reasons to eat a varied diet. But first things first, let’s define what this means. This means eating more than the same two kinds of fruit and the same three kinds of vegetables. It means switching things up and incorporating a variety of each of the plant-based food groups: fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

Increasing your variety of these food groups will help increase your intake of important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and phytochemicals. It will also help add a variety of textures and flavors, making you less likely to get bored of meals. It also leads to a greater diversity of the good gut bacteria. While there is still so much to learn and research about the gut microbiome, feeding these friendly flora a variety of plant foods will help them thrive. Additionally, eating a varied diet has also been correlated with a lower risk of many chronic diseases. So if you are convinced, a good goal to aim towards is 30 different plant foods per week.

Taste the Rainbow 

If 30 different plant foods feel like a lot, remember that it includes more than just fruits and vegetables! Whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds also count here and should be included in a well-balanced, plant-based diet. One of the reasons to add variety has to do with the color a food is. The pigments in plant-foods that give them their unique color are often powerful compounds in and of themselves that provide us with additional health benefits. Check out this article for all the details on what each color can provide.

Colorful Meals

It is always my goal to provide you with action steps to implement the topics we discuss in Nutrition Bites. For that reason, I wanted to share a few more colorful recipe ideas to help get you started on eating 30 different plant foods each week. First is a recipe for a Smoothie Bowl from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Next is a recipe for Grilled Veggie Pesto Pasta from Eating by Elaine. The last recipe is for a Rainbow Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing from the Food Revolution Network.

Weekly Challenge

Hopefully these tips and recipes will help get you on your way to adding more variety. This week, I want to challenge you to work on incorporating all 5 color categories of plant foods into your diet.

By Kelsie White Kelsie is passionate about helping others adopt healthy lifestyle practices through sharing nutrition education and setting goals. She believes that optimal nutrition is essential for health and well-being and may look different for each individual. This is why she values getting to know each of her patients and what motivates them. Kelsie grew up in Washington state and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion at Walla Walla University prior moving to Southern California. She most recently attended Loma Linda University, completing a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics. Kelsie enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, and activities such as hiking, playing volleyball, cooking, baking, and reading