# If I put healthy stuff on a pizza, does that make the pizza health food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432 "2010-06-25T01:51:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/21 "2010-06-25T07:08:13Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Starch” is a general term used to refer to linked carbohydrates, and is not indicative of how soluble they are or how readily they break down into simple sugars. The starches in potatoes, for instance, break down very quickly, making these tubers nearly as unhealthy as eating unrefined sugar (save that the bulk of mass of a potato is water). Starches from other sources, like wheat and barley, are more difficult to break down in their unprocessed form, and the presence of dietary fiber further retards their absorption. The glycemic index (GI) of a whole food is really the best way to evaluate it’s tendency to upset the insulin regulatory system. Some foods that are high in sucrose or glucose actually have a lower GI rating than foods with less sugar but also less fiber. > > Stranger I understand that. I’m not saying white flour is a “good” carb. I’m saying it’s not a simple carb, by the definition I understand it to be, which I’ve quoted above. [And another cite](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/facts/lifestylemanagement/carbohydrates.htm). > [@](#): > > Complex carbohydrates are often referred to as starch or starchy foods. They are found naturally in foods and also refined in processed foods. > > […] > > Complex carbohydrates as refined starches are found in: > > ``` > * biscuits, pastries and cakes > * pizzas > * sugary processed breakfast cereals > * white bread > * white flour > * white pasta > * white rice. > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/22 "2010-06-25T07:12:29Z")
Being happy is healthy. If pizza makes you happy, then eat it. Don’t take a short term view though, where you are happy for a moment, and unhappy for a lifetime. There is nothing unhealthy about one slice of pizza, or one Big Mac, its your eating habits over time that will make the difference. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/23 "2010-06-25T08:33:56Z")
i make a pizza margharita where it is crushed tomatoes, the equivalent of 6 slices of mozzarella the size of the thin round sargento cheese slices and a handful of basil. The crust is fairly thin and crackery, and the whole is some 12 inches in diameter. That would qualify as pretty healthy as there is not a lot of added sugar, salt and the cheese is pretty much the only fat there. I prefer baking with whole wheat and toss in other grains much of the time [mraru and i split one, with salad made of romaine and spinach and call it good.] ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/24 "2010-06-25T09:39:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, I know. But aren’t starches still classified as “complex carbohydrates”? I know they used to be, at least. Nutritional labels used to have, IIRC, simple carbs, complex carbs, and dietary fiber. Now, I think they have total carbs, sugars, and dietary fiber. Starches are complex carbohydrates but refined white flour is less complex than other starches; the pre-digestion, combined with the lack of fiber, means it will get turned into simple sugars and absorbed pretty fast. Not as fast as table sugar though, that’s for sure, but table sugar isn’t strictly speaking a simple carb either (it’s a dimer). ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/25 "2010-06-25T14:26:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I understand that. I’m not saying white flour is a “good” carb. I’m saying it’s not a simple carb, by the definition I understand it to be, which I’ve quoted above. [And another cite](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/facts/lifestylemanagement/carbohydrates.htm). We seem to be arguing whether the Pope is Catholic or Christian. Yes, starches are technically complex carbohydrates by virtue of being polysaccharides, and depending on how you define “simple”, even sucrose and fructose can be considered “complex” in that they are disaccharides. However, many starches readily and rapidly break down into monosaccharides. This includes highly processed starches like corn starch and refined wheat. The GI index for a particular food is really a much better measure of how healthy or unhealthy that food is from a blood sugar regulation standpoint, irrespective of how simple or complex its carbohydrate structures. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/26 "2010-06-25T14:36:55Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > We seem to be arguing whether the Pope is Catholic or Christian. Yes, starches are technically complex carbohydrates by virtue of being polysaccharides, and depending on how you define “simple”, even sucrose and fructose can be considered “complex” in that they are disaccharides. I thought disaccharides were usually lumped in with simple carbs (once again, per my link above). “Simple” equals one- or two- sugars in a chain, “complex” is three or more. Anyhow, back to a question I didn’t quite ask but alluded to above. I seem to recall nutritional labels of my youth dividing carbs into three categories: Simple carbs (sugars), complex carbs (startches), and dietary fiber. The nutritional labels I see now have a different breakdown: Total carbs, sugars, and dietary fiber. I’m not imagining the old breakdown, am I? If not, when did the labels change? ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/27 "2010-06-25T15:01:15Z")
If anyone was ever under the illusion that a veggie pizza is necessarily healthy in any way - check out Uno’s site, they have posted the numbers for the deep dish “farmer’s market” pizza. It is stacked with veggies, and is basically a heart attack waiting to happen. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/28 "2010-06-25T16:59:05Z")
> [@misling](#): > > If anyone was ever under the illusion that a veggie pizza is necessarily healthy in any way - check out Uno’s site, they have posted the numbers for the deep dish “farmer’s market” pizza. It is stacked with veggies, and is basically a heart attack waiting to happen. I LOVE that pizza. Numbero Uno’s thick crust pizzas are the greatest. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/29 "2010-06-25T17:01:05Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > My wife makes homemade [pizza](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547746) using fresh fat free, low carb, low sodium cheese, and she uses it sparingly (she mixes in just a smidgen of regular to help with the melting process). She makes her own sauce and it’s very low in salt. She also makes her own crust. She tops it with red peppers, onions, tomatoes: All fresh, not canned. No meat. She does sprinkle a little olive oil on it in the middle of baking. It’s about as healthy as your going to get when it comes to pizza. You have my most sincere sympathies. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/30 "2010-06-25T19:02:55Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > i make a pizza margharita where it is crushed tomatoes, the equivalent of 6 slices of mozzarella the size of the thin round sargento cheese slices and a handful of basil. The crust is fairly thin and crackery, and the whole is some 12 inches in diameter. That would qualify as pretty healthy as there is not a lot of added sugar, salt and the cheese is pretty much the only fat there. I prefer baking with whole wheat and toss in other grains much of the time [mraru and i split one, with salad made of romaine and spinach and call it good.] This is our standard Friday night dinner. We add a little more cheese, but not much. Fresh basil, fresh sauce and lots of pepper flakes make a nice, light dinner with a kick. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/31 "2010-06-25T19:16:50Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > You have my most sincere sympathies. ☹ That pie sounded great to me, except the part about using fake cheese. No need to do that. Use real mozz (not even the part-skim kind) and you can get by with using very little of it. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/32 "2010-06-25T19:58:47Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > That pie sounded great to me, except the part about using fake cheese. No need to do that. Use real mozz (not even the part-skim kind) and you can get by with using very little of it. I’m on a very fat restricted diet and the less fat I consume, the better. I’m willing to allow the fake cheese mix to lower fat.Sometimes I have to make concessions. Now [this stuff](http://www.nowyouknowbetter.com/Products/Fat-Free.aspx) is a different story. I have always loathed margarine and insisted on real butter. But ICBINB fat free is even worse than regular margarine. It’s like a margarine flavored Jell-O. It has a goopy consistency that feels gross in the mouth, and it tastes like plastic. No thank you, I’ll eat my bread dry. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432/33 "2010-06-25T21:20:44Z")
Wow, **pkbites** , that not butter stuff sounds disgusting. I note on the website they don’t list ingredients of that particular “fat free” but they list ingredients on the “original”. Perhaps to hide something? The only thing I’ve found acceptable to use instead of butter is either olive oil or Smart Balance. Of course neither of those help you since they’re all fat, but so it goes for things that are oil! I just don’t understand why the fake, unhealthy, usually hydrogenated fats are preferable to people over the far smaller and tastier amounts they could use of the real thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-put-healthy-stuff-on-a-pizza-does-that-make-the-pizza-health-food/544432.md?page=1)