What is the nutritional value of pizza?

You don't have to give up the foods you love to eat healthfully. When it comes to pizza, pile on the nutrients and eat in moderation.

From the calcium in cheese to a variety of antioxidants in tomato sauce, including beta carotene, vitamin C and lycopene, pizza offers nutritious benefits. To get more, use whole-wheat dough and pile on vegetable toppings like chopped broccoli, shredded spinach, sliced zucchini or artichokes.

There are so many choices when it comes to pizza that the only way to know what is in a serving is to read the nutrition labels or company information or make your own. Two of the nutrients to look at when choosing pizza are sodium and fat. The sodium can vary dramatically from brand to brand. There can be as much as 2000 mg of sodium in one slice of pizza which is pretty much a days worth of sodium. Look for pizza with less than 500 mg of sodium per slice. Fat can be reduced if lowfat cheese is used and toppings are veggies rather than meat. When pizza is the entree, choose salad,and fresh fruit to enhance the nutritional quality of the meal.