There’s not much better than having dinner delivered to your door after a long day. Pizza is ideal — quick, affordable, and readily available — but it has a reputation of being junk food. That’s not always the case though. True, many toppings can be high in fat and sodium. But when stripped down, pizza is simply tomato sauce, bread and cheese. Each of those parts individually are full of nutrients. It’s how you put all the parts together, what you add to them, and how much you eat that determines how nutritious or not nutritious pizza can be.

Making deliberate choices while building your meal can make the difference between a nutritional boost or bust. Adding a salad or fruit and veggie-filled side dishes will bump up your meals’ nutrient content and will help fill you up. Thinner crusts can also help save calories and saturated fat.

Many pizza spots offer desserts these days too. A sweet treat, as long as it's once in a while can be included in a healthy eating plan. Look for those low in sugar and saturated fat.

Helpful hints: Keep these tips in mind the next time you call your favorite pizza delivery joint.

(Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.)

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