October 8, 2001
Orlando, FL

Low-fat cheese adds up to healthier pizza

By Cara Warfield
Journal and Courier

Lafayette residents can now have their pizza and eat it to. Newtone Health & Fitness along with the four Greater Lafayette Pizza Huts are introducing their newest sin-free pizza with a low-fat cheese made from soy bean instead of whole milk mozzarella.

This lowfat cheese, known as "veggie mozzarella" contains 50 percent less fat than regular cheese and no saturated fat.

It is an all natural soy product which is cholesterol-free and lactose-free.

But don't let the healthy jive mislead you. The new pizza is quite tasty. Barry Newton, owner and general manager of Newtone Health and Fitness was especially impressed.

"Pizza Hut came to me and said, 'We have this new product and we'd like you to try it,' " Newton said. "We did, including many of my employees and we couldn't tell the difference between this and regular pizza."

"I think it's a wonderful product," he continued. "I can't eat pizza because it's so unhealthy, but I can eat this. I think this is great. I really love it."

The "veggie mozzarella" has fewer calories and more vitamins compared to typical mozzarella cheeses.

The healthier soy cheese can be substituted for most high-fat, high-cholesterol cheeses usually found in pizza.

"I've found that a lot of people are lactose intolerant," Newton said. "And people are at a greater risk for lactose intolerance as they get older. Because the cheese is lactose-free, these people can still enjoy the pizza ... Also, soy products have proven helpful in preventing cancers like colon and breast cancers."

Although Berdine Martin, a research associate for the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue, couldn't confirm that soy prevents cancers, she agreed that it is a healthy substitute.

"What we can say for sure is that soy does help to lower cholesterol," Martin said. "There is all kinds of research out there. We've researched soy in relation to bone health, soy in relation to cancers and post menopause.

There is lots of research, but the lowered cholesterol and heart health is what keeps coming up."

As people are becoming more health-conscious, soy products are increasing in popularity.

"We're seeing more and more vegetarian products," Martin said. "And as vegetarianism becomes more popular among a subset of the population, soy is a natural choice.

"When I go walking down the produce section in Marsh, I notice all kinds of products with soy, like soy-based cheeses and salad dressings. They're experimenting with it in all kinds of products."

The "veggie mozzarella" pizza has been available at the local Pizza Huts for several weeks and will soon be introduced at both Newtone clubs, located at 725 Sagamore Parkway North and 3611 Braddock Drive.

Newton was optimistic the new pizza would do well. "I can't imagine that it won't be popular," he said.

"If you're looking for healthy, this is the way to go."