by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: July 10, 2008   Last Updated: May 03, 2012

Pizza is not a health food, but it is good for you, even the greasy, gotta-have-it kind of pizza. Pizza is a classic, a comfort food, a this-will-make-me-feel-better kind of food.

Pizza is a party food, a late night snuggle up on the couch food. Pizza is the kind of food that most people will turn to when they want something crunchy, chewy, gooey and filling, a fun to eat with your hands kind of food.

But wait, you say. All that grease, that fattening cheese, that salty sauce, that filled with saturated fat sausage piled up high cannot be good for you.

And you're right. That greasy, salty, fatty pizza won't be good for you as a regular part of diet, particularly if your other foods of choice include hamburgers, French fries, chocolate cake and potato chips.

But if your diet is a healthy one, a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and other assorted nutrients then the occasional greasy, salty, fatty pizza will do little harm to your body.

It will do wonders for your spirit.

Is pizza a spiritual food? Not exactly. But it can feed your emotional needs on occasion. Should you resort to ordering a large pepperoni every time you have a bad day? Of course not. But just as the decadent chocolate brownie with frosting can be the dieter's reward, so pizza can be the rare reward of the nutritionally vigilant.

After all, what fun is it being good if once in a while you can't be bad? Sometimes, being bad is good for you.

But you'll regret it in the morning, you say. You'll feel fat and bloated and mad at yourself for going off your carefully planned out nutritional regimen.

Life without regrets is dull indeed.

Of course, there are low-fat cheeses and salt-free sauces that reduce the threat to the dietary regime. You can make a pizza with a whole grain crust and top it spinach and summer squash. And it will make a great meal. It will satisfy, but it is not the pizza of fantasy, the pizza that is the bad boy every woman wants nor the girl gone wild of every man's dream.

Nutrition is more than just counting calories and tracking fat and checking sodium content on labels. Nutrition is more than just understanding the need for potassium and calcium and magnesium. Nutrition is more than supplements and indexes and exercise routines. Nutrition feeds more than the body; it feeds the mind and spirit as well.

Yes, pizza is healthy. It's healthy because every now and then, being bad is good for you.

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