World’s Healthiest Pizza, a New Orleans-based chain, is far from meek. Its Web site preaches the miracles of fiber. Customers don’t offer endorsements; they testify about reaching “dietary nirvana” through red sauce. The motto is a friendly reminder that the other way leads only to death: “Our pizza won’t kill you like the others. Promise.”
When I picked up my 12-inch veggie combo, why did I feel like I’d joined a cult?
I truly believe this pizza, which has sugar-free sauce, low-fat mozzarella and half my recommended fiber intake in a single slice, is one of the world’s healthiest pizzas, but enlightenment can require trials, and after eating three slices I suffered. There was, to be delicate, some distress in my digestive system. Overindulging in fiber can do that, although to be fair, I also ate half a king cake the same day.
I’m more a man of science than faith, so as a control I ate another half king cake two days later. No ill effects this time, although I’m willing to admit that king cake and not pizza might kill me.
My digestive system might get used to the extra fiber with a steady diet of the World’s Healthiest Pizza. I’ll never know because the taste didn’t convert me. The thin crust was chewy instead of crisp. Even though it had no sugar, it was still too sweet.
The low-fat cheese kept the pizza from being oily. But neither the red sauce nor the white sauce (olive oil, basil, garlic and Parmesan) had enough flavor to make up for the low-fat mozzarella. I tried several pizzas, and none of the toppings were as fresh or as flavorful as those at our city’s best local pizzerias. And a Mediterranean pizza with feta, olives, red onions, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes was as salty as the Dead Sea.
I’m no doctor or scientist, but I do know flavor. If good pizza will kill me, then I’ll make that sacrifice.
6307 S. Miro St.
865-0224
daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
8120 Hampson St.
865-0221
daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
