5 Ingredients That Make Pizza a Healthy Choice

If you enjoy Italian food, take heart. A favorite Italian dish, pizza, may actually offer many health benefits. If you are wondering what makes variations of pizza more nutritious, consider the main ingredients as well as the favorite toppings that may be offered. Here are five classic ingredients that make pizza a healthy choice to devour.

Pizza's main ingredient is tomato sauce, which packs a nutritional punch. If you add in extra tomatoes as a topping, you will receive an extra dose of health benefits. Whether you're consuming tomato sauce or sliced or diced tomatoes, you're introducing antioxidants, vitamin C, and lycopene into your body.

Vitamin C is needed for healthy gums, brain function, and a strong immune system. And antioxidants such as lycopene will help guard your cells against free radicals, as well as guard you against the risk of cancer and heart disease.

In addition, if you request tomatoes for a pizza topping, you will increase your fiber content, which helps your digestive system run smoothly. Tomatoes also contain potassium, a mineral important for blood pressure regulation and cardiovascular health.

Spinach is a popular pizza topping, and it offers more than good taste and texture to your favorite dish. The leafy green vegetable adds insoluble fiber to your diet and a host of vitamins and minerals. Spinach contains vitamins C and A, as well as iron, calcium, potassium, and folic acid, so it will do your body good to enjoy a spinach pizza.

You may also help your vision by eating a spinach-topped pizza. The green vegetable contains lutein, which can help your eyes maintain its healthy cells. The human body does not produce the lutein it needs, so topping your pizza with spinach is one way to receive the benefits.

Another popular pizza topping, mushrooms provide a healthy boost to your favorite meal. As a member of the fungi world, mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, which protect your body against cancer. The fungi also contain selenium, a mineral that helps detoxify the liver and fight inflammation.

Also, you will receive fiber and potassium when you top your pizza with mushrooms. Whether it's sliced or whole, adding mushrooms to your pizza is a smart choice in terms of health benefits.

Do you enjoy some tangy flavor on your pizza? If so, you might want to consider adding banana peppers as a topping. The bright-yellow vegetable contains several nutritional benefits.

Many individuals do not receive adequate fiber in their diets. Banana peppers contain insoluble fiber which helps aid digestion. If you suffer from occasional constipation, peppers will help your digestive tract run smoothly and soften the stool.

Have you ever noticed how eating slightly hot or spicy food seems to open up your nasal and sinus cavities? If you have a stuffy nose and sinus congestion, try adding banana peppers to your pizza. As added bonus, you will receive antibacterial properties from the peppers, which helps combat illness. The anti-inflammatory properties of banana peppers are beneficial as well.

Some types of pizza are made with olive oil. Olives may also be added as a topping. The benefits of olive oil and olives are well documented. You'll be doing your body good by eating olives and things with olive oil because of the antioxidants found in them, as well as cancer-fighting compounds.

Olive oil and olives help fight inflammation, protect the heart from disease, and may even help prevent stomach ulcers, according to the experts. Antimicrobial properties found in olives may be the reason why it is a safeguard against the development of stomach ulcers. Also, if you are iron-deficient, consider adding olives to your pizza, as it is a rich source of this vital mineral.

When choosing pizza for your next meal, feel confident that you are indeed receiving nutritional benefits if you add these ingredients. Visit Picano's Italian Grille today and get to know the healthy benefits of dining on pizza.