Most people love a slice of pizza. Whether you get one from your local pizza shop or you make one at home, pizza is a healthy alternative to ordinary meals. This is made possible by the numerous ingredients used to make pizza. You may be wondering what are the ingredients that make a slice of pizza healthy and tasty?

1. The Crust

The pizza crust is made from flour, water, oil, yeast, and salt. The traditional oil used for the pizza crust is olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil as a substitute as both are healthy fats. If you intend to use ready-made crust dough, ensure that it is free of trans-fats. 

To make a healthy dough, you have the option of using wholemeal flour, which is full of minerals, vitamins, and fibre. Most pizzerias sell whole-grain crusts hence you should always inquire if the flour used on the crust is whole wheat flour.

2. Sauce

A sauce made from tomatoes is a good addition to your pizza as it contains antioxidants that fight diseases. The source is also rich in vitamin A, C and lycopene. Check the sodium content of the sauce as some have high concentrations of sodium. Use tomato sauce instead of pesto, barbecue, or Alfredo sauces. Also, you can use canned or fresh tomatoes that do not contain salt.

3. Cheese

Although cheese has high quantities of calcium, it also adds calories and fats to a pizza. Therefore, you should use as little cheese as possible with mozzarella being the best choice. Mozzarella contains less fat in comparison to cheddar or Swiss cheese. You can also opt for goat or feta cheese as they are low in fat. To ensure minimal use of cheese on pizza, sprinkle it on top of vegetables.

4. Toppings

Vegetables are an ideal choice for pizza toppings; use basil, onions, or broccoli as a toppings choice. Grilling is another option for preparing vegetable pizza toppings where you can grill tomatoes, red peppers, zucchini, or eggplant. Use few olives and sundried tomatoes as they have high amounts of sodium.

Apart from mushroom, cheese and pepperoni, you can use meat in the pizza with shrimp, beef, and chicken breast being a favourite choice. The meat choices are suitable as they have small amounts of salt in comparison to sausage, pepperoni or bacon.

A bit of history

Pizza originated from Naples and up to now, the Neapolitans still make some of the most delicious pizzas

• Neapolitans prepare a pizza with a small base, thin at the centre with spongy and tall borders. This pizza is non-crunchy, but it will melt in the mouth. It is not stodgy, and it always leaves you with space to fit in something else.
• Pizza in Rome, on the other hand, is friable with lean at the borders. It is also bigger than the Neapolitan one, and it is also a light meal; hence you cannot eat it to satisfaction on its own.

When you opt to buy frozen pizza, ensure that you read the nutritional contents on the label to choose one with the lowest fat and salt content. Please note that the nutrition data usually is for a pizza portion and not the full pizza. Enjoy pizza with raw vegetables of a salad to have a nutritionally balanced meal. Go ahead and order for pizza from your favourite pizza restaurant and enjoy a meal with family and friends.