by M. L. Kiser

Created on: September 03, 2008   Last Updated: February 10, 2009

Is Pizza Healthy? Well it can be. It's all in what you put on it and how you make your crust and sauce. If you pile on a ton of meat and meat-by products it is going to result in clogged arteries and slower digestion. Not very healthy, eh? Likewise, if you add a ton of your favorite fatty cheeses to the pie you are not eating healthy pizza. You can actually use a lot less cheese on pizza than you would think.

Generally, a whole wheat or stone-ground wheat crust is healthier than the processed white flour. You can also buy flour that doesn't contain gluten, if you are allergic. If you buy organic flour, be sure to buy from local grocers and products that you know. Everything that says, "Organic", isn't.

If you are a "pre-prepared crust" person, beware of using store-bought garlic bread because it's full of trans-fats. It's much better to use your butter and fresh garlic to make your own garlic bread crust. Organic pita bread and other flatbreads make some of the best, thinner crust pizzas.

Use only the freshest vegetables in your sauce and make sure to cook it well. Don't salt if you don't have to; you can use the garlic as a salt substitute or other herbs. Sometimes these offer much better flavor than salt and salt can lead to a lot of problems including high blood pressure, acid reflux disease and heart disease, so, make your pizza as naturally as you can.

Brushing fresh garlic butter over the crust makes your pizza even more heart healthy and can help to ward off a host of diseases like cancer, heart disease, coronary artery disease and more. It's also an option if you are allergic to tomatoes or sauce.

Once your garlic butter has been brushed onto your crust, add your sauce and then delicious vegetables, such as onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green pepper, banana pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, pineapple, green and black olives, carrots, pimentos, fresh parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and other favorite vegetables and herbs to your pizza. If you can use turkey, shrimp, crab or tuna on your pizza, it will be much healthier than the fatty red meats like pork and beef, which are full of cholesterol, fat, preservatives and pesticides.

Using low-fat cheese or soy-cheese can often add to the benefits and these are not nearly as bad as many people think. You can also use fresh, homemade or imported cheese in order to reap the benefits of nature. Don't use too much, just enough to hold the ingredients on the pizza.

If you like bacon on your pizza, try a bacon alternative to make it healthier, like soy-bacon bits or vegetarian bacon which you can get at your local health food store or section. Soy is a natural artery cleanser and if you are going to eat pizza, wouldn't it be better to cleanse those arteries than to clog them?

Really, the soy products are pretty tasty and as someone who has loved beef and pork in the past and is now vegetarian, I prefer the soy, overall.

Be creative with your pizza. If you like peppers, the hotter the pepper, and the better it is for your health. Research has shown that eating hot peppers regularly can actually help to alleviate heartburn! So, pile on those peppers.

Balance out the colors on your pizza for a really enticing meal. Add whatever veggies you prefer and as many as possible in variety. You are going to feel lighter after eating your pizza and you'll reap some very important health benefits.

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