Pizza Calories
Healthy Pizza Recipes

Pizza calories can be cut down easily by choosing the right crust and toppings. Try these tricks and watch for these brands to help cut down on calories!

Most of us don't really want to know the truth.

Yet, there is a healthy amount of us who do want to enjoy our beloved pizza while counting fat and calories.

While pizza is not typically considered a low calorie food, there are ways to make it healthy and low calorie.

First trick, as with any food, is to watch portion size. Easier said than done, right?

I know, believe me. But to keep a handle on those calories, it's essential to keep your serving size to one or two slices of pizza.

I know you can do it!

Here are a few tips to reduce pizza calories. I mentioned these on the healthy pizza recipes page, but these tricks are worth another mention here;

• *Try using a whole wheat pizza dough instead of a white crust.
• *Thin crust pizza, depending on how it's made, can save you calories.
• *Use turkey sausage, grilled chicken and lean meat instead of fatty meats.
• *Bulk up on the veggies to make your pizza more filling with fewer calories. There's a reason most veggies have zero Weight Watcher points!
• *Dab the grease off your pizza with a paper towel. Soak up a few extra calories! You won't miss the grease, I promise you.

Here are a couple quick calorie comparisons to help you. Knowledge is power, right? Remember, pizza is not the enemy though. It's all about choosing the right crust, right toppings and keeping your portion size to one or two slices.

(All nutritional information taken from the restaurant's website. Serving sizes may vary - but all based on a large pizza. )

Restaurant Pizza

CHEESE PIZZA - THIN CRUST
Serving Size = 1 slice from a 14" large pie (1/8 of pizza)

CHEESE PIZZA - DEEP DISH OR PAN PIZZA
Serving Size = 1 slice from a 14" large pie (1/8 of pizza)

*Papa John's only had an original crust to use as comparison, not a deep dish. Oddly enough, their thin crust cheese pizza has more fat than the original crust.

PEPPERONI PIZZA - THIN CRUST
Serving Size = 1 slice from a 14" (large) pie, THIN CRUST

*Little Caesars only has one crust option besides the Deep Dish. Their crust probably isn't as thin as the other "thin crust".

So you see that the type of crust has a big impact on pizza calories. You save anywhere from 20- 80 calories per slice just by choosing a thin crust. Pizza Hut calories go up by a whopping 100 per slice on a deep dish pizza as opposed to a thin slice.

Frozen Pizza

Frozen pizza calories can be just as ominous as delivery pizza. The good news is, many brands do have options for those watching their fat and calorie intake, as well as, organic and vegan options.

Here is a calorie and fat comparison between Tombstone's Original Supreme pizza, DiGiorno's Supreme pizza and Red Baron's Supreme Pizza.

(Serving size; roughly 1/5 of the pizza. The DiGiorno serving size is slightly bigger).

These frozen pizzas aren't any less fattening then a delivery cheese pizza (keep in mind these are supremes).

But you can find great healthy options in the frozen pizza case at the store. Again, look for crusts that are thin, whole wheat or flatbread. Choose veggie toppings and try not to eat the whole pizza (believe me; I know how hard that is!).

Making Pizza At Home

Making your pizza at home is often the best bet for healthy and low calorie because you control the ingredients. There are so many great homemade pizza recipe that can help you too.

Crust options can range from a great, thin crust pizza dough or whole wheat pizza dough to an easy Boboli pizza crust or other ready-made thin crust.

Remember to choose toppings wisely. Use fresh veggies like green peppers and olives instead of loading up on pepperoni and sausage.

You can cut down on pizza calories easily and still enjoy the flavor of a great pie!

More pizza recipes:

Vegetable Pizza Recipe
Low Fat Pizza
Vegan Pizza
Pineapple Pizza
Grilled Chicken Pizza
Diabetic Pizza

Don't forget to share your favorite recipes with us so we can enjoy them too.