Yes, you certainly can! While paleo of course has some restrictions, there are plenty of foods you can still enjoy on a paleo diet, and pizza is one of them. Actually, you might find that you like paleo pizza more, if you’ve got the right ingredients. And at ZeroCarb LYFE, we're here to help you find those ingredients.
Whether you’ve recently developed a gluten intolerance, or are simply seeking to try something new, we aim to make your search for good food that much easier. One of the ways we do that is with our gluten free pizza crust. Made of just four ingredients (chicken, olive oil, salt, and additional spices), our crust can not only be used for pizza but a variety of other foods. And did we mention that it's also paleo? Yes, a paleo pizza crust exists, and it is delicious!
You don’t have to sacrifice flavor for a diet that is kind to your body. Each component of pizza can easily be made paleo, and with some creativity, you can craft a pizza that not only is better suited to your body, but to your tastes as well.
Before we dive in, please note that what we’re sharing is not medical advice. You should talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet—particularly if you have dietary restrictions linked with an underlying condition.
What Is the Paleo Diet?
Paleo is essentially a high-protein, high-fat, low-carb diet. The Mayo Clinic defines paleo as "an eating plan based on foods humans might have eaten during the Paleolithic Era...from around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago." The theory around this diet is that humans did not evolve to eat many of the things we eat in modern day––namely, foods that originated when agriculture began around 10,000 years ago.
Paleo emphasizes eating:
• Fruits and vegetables• Meat and fish
• Nuts and seeds
• Oils from fruits and nuts
Paleo avoids foods such as:
• Grains (like wheat and rice)• Legumes (like beans & lentils)
• Dairy (like milk and cheese)
• Sugar (like candy & snack foods)
Millions of Americans follow paleo for a variety of reasons, ranging from personal to physical health. But, being on a paleo diet does come with some challenges. It can be difficult to avoid or omit processed foods––especially carbs. It likely goes without saying that pizza doesn't typically fit paleo requirements, as both cheese and traditional pizza dough are excluded. That said, you can not only find substitutes for those ingredients, but replace them with something just as tasty.
What Are 3 Pizza Crust Alternatives for Paleo?
There are several different pizza crust options available that fit the paleo diet. Those options will generally consist of one of the following:
• Fruits & Vegetables: While not typically thought of as a carb substitute, foods like cauliflower and coconut provide a good alternative for pizza crust that’s low in both calories and carbs. Additionally, many stores are beginning to carry cauliflower crust, making it an accessible option.
• Chicken: Yes—you read that right! Chicken is a common substitute for flour-based pizza dough, and ZeroCarb LYFE's pizza crust is the best chicken crust out there. Not only is it a keto-friendly, diabetic-friendly, gluten-free pizza crust, but it is low in calories and very high in protein. It's also the only alternative on this list that is zero carbs. You can see which stores stock our crusts via our store locator, or you can find them through our website.
• Nuts: Another popular substitute for grain-based baking is nuts, particularly almonds. Almond flour is a very common baking ingredient for not just paleo, but keto and gluten-free diets. Provided that you don’t have a nut allergy, this can be a great option for a paleo pizza crust.
Paleo Pizza Sauce
While red sauce can easily be made paleo by omitting sugar, white sauce is mostly dairy, though there are paleo-friendly substitutes in stores. So, what can you use instead of pizza sauce? Several bases can easily be made paleo, including pesto, barbecue sauce, tapenade, and a variety of other options. If you’re looking for ideas, check out our recipe blog where we're constantly sharing ideas!
Paleo Pizza Toppings
Thankfully, most common pizza toppings are paleo-friendly. Meat, vegetables, and fruits are all still fair game, along with many other creative options. The one major exception to this is cheese since dairy is not paleo, but there are several brands of dairy-free mozzarella cheese to use instead. Other than that, the sky's the limit—you can really get creative here!
ZeroCarb LYFE: Paleo Made Fun
Eating paleo doesn’t have to mean losing out on your favorite foods. At ZeroCarb LYFE, we aim to provide diet-friendly alternatives for eating that are just as good (or better) than the traditional choices. Rather than longing for what is not allowed on paleo, you can eat food that tastes good while still being good for your body.
If you’d like to learn more about what we do, check out our chicken pizza crusts online, or use our store locator to find them where you live. You can also follow our blog for some awesome recipes to make your life even healthier, physically and emotionally!