by Denise Calaman

Created on: May 07, 2009   Last Updated: August 06, 2009

Pizza is a favorite food of many Americans. The average American eats pizza at least once per week and as many as half of those people eat pizza more than once per week. Some of us have even used the excuse for our favorite weekly indulgence. "I can have pizza on my diet. One slice easily represents all the food groups!" Our doctors however, would disagree. Traditional style pizza is laden with fat and calories and is extremely high in cholesterol and trans fat. But pizza lovers everywhere can rejoice. There are healthy alternatives to preparing our favorite meal without sacrificing taste.

Healthy Starts with the Main Ingredients-

Even the traditional main ingredients in pizza can be substituted replaced by much healthier ingredients. Yeast, white flour, salt and water are used to make traditional pizza crust. By substituting wheat flour for white flour it cuts down on the sugar content of the pizza and increases the fiber content. Preparing a thin crust instead of a thick crust will reduce unnecessary carbohydrates. Using chunky tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes in the sauce on your pizza dough is healthier than a thin watered down sauce. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C and lycopene.

A favorite topping of many people found on most types of pizza is cheese. Many cheeses such as mozzarella (used on many traditional pizzas), are high in fat and cholesterol. But before hanging up the phone many of us say, "Can I have that with extra cheese please?" While forgoing the extra mozzarella is a healthier option than having the cheese melting off of each slice there are many substitute cheeses that may be used in place of traditional mozzarella and may be used plentifully, so much so, that asking for extra cheese won't make anyone feel guilty. Goat cheese, farmer's cheese and parmesan are low in fat and high in nutrition. Vegetarian cheeses may also be substituted for the traditional cheeses. Vegetarian cheese is made from soy and melts just as well as traditional cheese with less fat and calories and vegetarian cheese has no cholesterol.

Get Creative with Toppings-

Today there are so many different types of pizza. Everyone likes to get creative and add their favorite toppings to a personalized pie. Pizza bars are becoming increasingly popular. Diners can choose from a wide variety of toppings and add whatever they like to raw dough. Personalized pies are baked and delivered to tables piping hot.

While vegetables are the best toppings

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