is pizza healthy
Last updated September 6, 2026.
**Pizza can fit into a healthy diet, but most restaurant and frozen pizza is high in sodium, saturated fat, and calories, so how it is built and how much you eat matter more than the word pizza itself.** How healthy a slice is depends on the crust, the toppings, and how much you eat at one sitting. A large slice of pepperoni pizza can carry a big share of the sodium many adults should get in a whole day, along with a heavy load of saturated fat. Choosing a thinner or whole-grain crust, lighter cheese, and vegetable toppings brings those numbers down, and so does stopping at one or two slices with a side salad. Pizza once in a while sits differently than pizza several times a week. If you are managing blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, or blood sugar, a clinician or dietitian can help you set a limit that works for you.
What to do
- Watch the portion: Start with one or two slices and fill the rest of the plate with salad or vegetables.
- Load up on vegetables: Peppers, mushrooms, onions, and spinach add fiber and nutrients without much sodium.
- Go easy on cured meats: Pepperoni, sausage, and bacon push the sodium and saturated fat up quickly.
- Pick a better crust: Thin or whole-grain crust means fewer calories per slice and more fiber than thick or stuffed crust.
- Balance the rest of the day: If pizza is dinner, keep other meals lower in salty packaged and processed foods.
- Ask about your own limits: With high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, or diabetes, check with a clinician about your sodium and carbohydrate targets.