Is Pizza Really Bad for You?

Pizza, one of the many foods that has for a long time been demonized as a health hazard is up for inspection now for a possible revocation. Let it be known from the beginning though that this article is not going to say that places like Pizza Hut and Dominoes is good to eat at, that remains the same. Rather, we are going to look at homemade pizzas.

Dough, cheese, tomato sauce; these are the basic ingredients for a pizza. If one is to use the normal versions of these ingredients (white dough, full fat cheese) then pizza will forever remain in the freezer of food that are automatically bad for you. To make this forbidden food not quite so fattening we have to get healthy alternatives to these normal ingredients.

In the section of dough, make sure you buy (or make) whole wheat. The additional fiber will help keep you regular and full, and the whole wheat counts as a complex carb. That means it is a preferred source of energy, and is thermogenic (meaning that your body uses calories just digesting the food, as where white dough will pass through your body unopposed and easily turns directly into fat). We can assure a lower amount of calories, higher good carbs, feeling fuller longer, and a higher metabolic rate from using this type of wheat.

Cheese provides protein, but also dizzyingly high amounts of fat. If you switch over to low fat cheese, you can again cut calories and still retain the much sought after protein of cheese. The fats in cheese tend to be saturated, the bad type (not nearly as bad as trans fats, but still they are hard to digest and can cause all types of problems if too many are ingested). Most supermarkets will sell a low-fat and nonfat version of cheese. While the nonfat would be best, if you are worried about taste (and don't want to feel like you are eating rubber) go for low fat. You can get the healthy benefits, while maintaining the high level of taste pizza is known for.

As for the sauce, be sure to get ones without sugar added. This should be a no brainer, as sugar has been demonized enough by Atkins enthusiasts for everyone to know why it is evil. It adds quickly to fat, lowers metabolic rate, and again should be known as something you don't want in your body.

If you change your ingredients to these healthy alternatives, I can say that pizza is a food that can be enjoyed conservatively without guilt. While you shouldn't eat it too often, you can eat this whole grain type without any worries of busting your gut. So roll out the dough and take a bite of that all so delicious pizza.