Which meal is truly international and deeply loved by almost 100%? We can bet you know the answer. That’s pizza! It is the most convenient food for busy people, it is loved by children and seniors, and it is extremely diverse in its styles, types, and recipes.

Such a fabulous description, nevertheless, is accompanied by a disgraceful status of fast food, cheat meals, and totally unhealthy meals. Is it true? Let’s learn more about it.

A Bit of Pizza’s History: What It Was Originally and What Is Modern Pizza?

Pizza’s roots stretch back to ancient times. Its origin is disputed as typically, pizza is appropriated by Italians, namely, Neapolitans, but similar meals were cooked in the Achaemenid Empire, in ancient Greece, and along the whole Mediterranean area. Yet, in its modern style, pizza emerged in the city of Naples on the edge of the 18th-19th century. And it was a poor men's meal consisting of the rest of previous dinners and a flatbread.

Then, Italian immigrants took pizza to the US, and over a couple of decades, the pizza boom started. Today it is baked all over the world from Italy to Australia, from the US to Japan and Southeast Asia.

What About Pizza’s Healthiness? Why It Is Not a Healthy Food?

At the same time, pizza’s nutritional qualities are quite questionable. The reason is its high-calorie level with more carbs and saturated fats than proteins or fiber. Pizza is typically made of leavened dough with sodium, salt, and fats (olive oil). As the USDA reports, an average pizza from popular fast-food chains can contain over 5.100 mg of sodium per 1 pizza of 14’’ in diameter. Its sauces, especially tomato-based, are fatty and often contain too many preservants, salt, sugar, and attractive additives which badly impact well-being. The topping typically contains processed meat which is also not healthy, lard or bacon, ham, bacon crusts, and other types of non-healthy proteins. As a result, when you eat pizza daily, the risks of bad cholesterol deposits increase, as well as the possibility of extra weight gain and heart disease risks.

Can Pizza Be a Healthy Food?

 

And the last reason to ban it from your daily menu is because of the dominance of semi-processed frozen pizza which you can cook in your micro. Besides, fast-food restaurants’ pizza recipes contain unhealthy components and often are served in too big portions with extremely unhealthy types of meals (like Chicago-style pizza, Detroit-style pizza, or Ohio-Valley-style pizza). This refers to various pizza chains, although in deluxe restaurants and HLS takeouts, you can opt for more balanced and less harmful pizzas.

How to Choose Pizza for Your HLS Menu

Although nutritionists typically claim pizza is a cheat meal, not a regular meal for maintaining a healthy diet, there are some tips on how to include your enjoyable pizza slice in your healthy dining menu.

  1. Select pizza on a thin crust (like Neapolitan Pizza which is made of fat-free dough with low sugar levels) or on a whole-grain crust which is healthier than a conventional one.
  2. Avoid pizza with a heavy amount of smoked ham, meat and too much fatty topping (like Chicago-style or Colorado-style pizza).
  3. Vegetarian pizza is typically healthier than non-vegetarian. Thus, get pizza with more vegetables in its recipe to enjoy its healthiness.
  4. Think on a proper portion so as not to overeat. Thus, deep-fried pizza or Jumbo-sliced pizza is not your best choice.
  5. Classy Italian pizza types like Pizza Margherita, Seafood Pizza, or Quatro Formaggi are healthier than others.
  6. Alternatives to leavened dough for pizza’s crust are cauliflower-based dough or flatbread. For example, in 95 Nutrition, we have a great alternative for pizza fans, our low-calorie Pizza Wrap which you can take out and enjoy its deliciousness without any concerns.

Eating pizza is not similar to breaking your diet. Pizza is diverse, and its healthy types do exist! Thus, do not deprive yourself of pleasure and simply select low-calorie and rich in healthy nutrients' pizza. At last, your good mood and the positive emotion you get from eating pizza are no less good for your well-being than all the diets.