Is pizza healthy?

Pizza has always been touted as some sort of secret health food that's also really tasty. It's so good that some may wonder if it's even healthy and the answer to that depends on how it is prepared.

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Major Food Groups

It is true, pizza has all the major food groups. It has your carbs in the crust, cheese in the middle and vegetables and meat on the top. Unfortunately, this can still make for an unhealthy meal.

Crust, Cheese, Meat

The white crust combined with an abundance of cheese and a meat that is high in saturated fat is unhealthy. The way to get around this is to make your own pizza instead of going out or buying one that is frozen.

Healthier

You can now buy prepared whole wheat crust from your grocery store. It contains a lot more fiber and nutrients than white crust so it will greatly improve the nutrition of a pizza even if it's the only step you take. Next, use a little less cheese. While moderate amounts of cheese can be healthy, too much will drastically increase your intake of saturated (bad) fat.

Use fresh vegetables. Fresh produce has more nutrients (and has no preservatives including salt) than canned produce which is what most pizza vendors use. You can also try frozen vegetables which are a little less expensive.

The End

Finally, if you include meat, use one that is low in sodium and fat such as chicken. Pepperoni is loaded with salt and bad fats which decreases the health of your pizza. Try the healthy pizza recipe.