How to Make Healthy Pizza

Pizza doesn't have to be junk food. Whether you want a healthier recipe because you are dieting or just because you want to make better food choices, a pizza can be a versatile meal that can be healthy and flavorful enough to please just about everyone at your table.

Things You'll Need

• Crust (homemade, pre-made or crust alternative)
• Tomato sauce
• Cheese
• Olive oil
• Plenty of fresh vegetables
• Optional Meat (small amount) such as pepperoni, ham, lean bacon or sausage

Instructions

1. Make pizzas from scratch or with pre-made kit crusts. You can also choose pitas or other flat breads, bagels or english muffins for your crust.

2. Use whole wheat crust or multigrain options instead of a typical white pizza crust. Whole grains tastes great and gives you more nutritive value. Many healthy recipes exist that incorporate this type of crust, but if you have a standard recipe, simply swap the pizza crust for a healthier alternative.

3. Choose a healthy oil such as extra virgin olive oil for your pizza instead of typical vegetable oil. Use oil sparingly to cut down on calories. Some recipes are oil free.

4. Look for alternatives to typical cheese for your pizza. You can use goat cheese for a change or choose low fat substitutes to cut the caloric value of the pizza and enhance the nutrients for a healthier alternative. This also gives new taste options to you to make your pizza different than average. Using less cheese cuts down caloric value, but cheese is also a healthy food so you can feel good about using it, especially if you tweak your recipe a few other ways to make the meal healthier.

5. Layer the crust with sauce, cheese and plenty of vegetables. Load up the vegetables. Using minimal amounts or no meat with plenty of vegetables can make your pizza a very healthy meal. Processed meat is not very healthy while vegetables and fruit such as pineapple will give your meal a healthy twist and beautiful color. Experiment with different varieties and combinations each time you try a new recipe. You can also use different toppings on different areas of the pizza to please the entire family. There are many available healthy recipes or you can simply use whatever combination of healthful toppings you like.

6. Cook pizza in a preheated oven at 400 to 425 degrees F until golden and cheese is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Tips & Warnings

• Grilled chicken is a healthy meat and makes a great topping for a pizza.

• Moderation is one of the keys to healthy eating so eat slowly and chew your food well for good digestion and for your body to have a chance to tell you when it's full. Fast eating can lead to overeating.