Changing the negative effects of pizza is as easy as changing the time you eat it

Photos by Blake Wisz and Artur Rutkowski/Unsplash

Anything can be healthy if you try hard enough, and that also holds true for pizza. With the right ingredients, you don’t have to feel bad every time you eat a slice. Here’s what you can do to turn your favorite junk food into a more wholesome meal.

Go thin crust

Stuffed crust might be life but if you’re ever going to achieve your personal goals, sometimes you have to make sacrifices. You can significantly cut the amount of calories in a single slice if you opt for thin crust. All those special crusts could add up to 300 calories per slice. If you’re not that active and need to monitor your daily calorie intake, you don’t need the carbs and calories coming from a deep-dish pizza.

Blot the oil

When you get a fresh slice of pizza, sometimes you’ll notice oily spots on top. Dab a napkin on top to remove oil and lessen its calories. It might seem pointless, but it’s scientifically proven to make it healthier. Studies show that blotting reduces total fat by 14 percent and 17 percent of cholesterol and saturated fat on a 15-inch pizza.

Use whole wheat flour

If you’re going to make your own crust, switch regular white flour with whole wheat flour. This way you bring up your pizza’s nutritional value without sacrificing flavor. You’ll also get more complex carbs and fiber that’ll help improve digestion and make you feel fuller. On top of that, it’s packed with more B vitamins, iron, and magnesium.

Make your own sauce

Packaged and processed tomato sauce can sometimes have way too much sugar, salt, and who knows what else. At least with homemade sauce, you have full control over the ingredients you use. A cup of tomato sauce already gives you half your daily vitamin C and a quarter of your vitamin A recommended intake.

Choose fresh mozzarella

If you’re going healthy, then might as well make sure you use fresh cheese instead of mass-produced ones. Not only does it taste way better, there’s a lot less sodium in it too. All other nutritional benefits like protein and fat content are more or less the same, but it has slightly less calories than regular mozzarellas.

Try to avoid it before bed

Pizza might be our favorite party and sleepover food, but it might not be such a good idea after all. You’re actually setting yourself up for disrupted sleep because of heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux. Generally, foods that are fatty and have high acid content can cause this feeling, both of which apply to pizza. Even the healthiest person can experience heartburn from pizza, so it’s best to indulge in it earlier in the day.