Monday, August 24, 2009

I Like Pizza!

I had pizza for dinner last night. I had pizza because I like pizza… A LOT! In fact, I seldom go more than a week without it. I like pizza so much that even though I just had some for dinner, writing this post is making me hungry for more pizza.

So why, as a personal trainer, am I telling you about my obsession for this terribly unhealthy food?

Because,

Wait for it…

Pizza can be good for you!

Now I’m not talking about calorie ridden, artery clogging, double five cheese, pepperoni, sausage, pan pizza with ranch dipping sauce (even though that sounds great), but pizza doesn’t need all those extra’s to be delicious.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients of a veggie and cheese pizza and some of the benefits that come with them:

Mozzarella cheese –
Cheese can be a great source of protein and calcium. While calcium goes to strengthening our bones, the protein is used to build and repair muscle tissue. When possible, look for low-fat cheese.

Pizza sauce –
Lycopenes are a natural substance found in tomatoes. They can be used as an antioxidant and are shown to prevent prostate cancer and protect against heart disease. Tomato sauce is actually a better form of Lycopene than the tomato itself, as the processing of the sauce enables easier absorption into the body.

Vegetables –
If you struggle getting your recommended daily intake of vegetables, this is a great way to go about it. Onions, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, and broccoli are all great choices for pizza toppings. If you don’t know the benefits of them by now, I’m afraid this post won’t help.

Crust –
In most cases, you will be hard pressed to find a pizza with a healthy crust when ordering out. However, if you are creative in the kitchen, here is a link to a whole grain crust you can make from home http://tinyurl.com/npxcov. Do this and you will have the added benefit of fiber in your pizza.

So there you have it; America’s favorite snack food made guilt free. Enjoy!

Blow it Up!


Marc Nespoli
www.fitnessforlifenetwork.com
marc@fitnessforlifenetwork.com

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