Feel Good Food The

Start spreading the news: Nutritionists and dietitians say pizza is healthy for the body and for the soul.

BY RICK HYNUM

For decades now, Americans have been told that pizza is an unhealthy food. Bread and cheese and meat, begone! Healthy eating means broccoli, beets and Brussels sprouts! Save the pizza for birthdays and Super Bowls, and you’ll live longer—or so the story goes. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a nutritionist or dietitian who agrees. In fact, the opposite is true. And it’s time we started sharing the facts with our customers: They don’t have to feel bad about the food that makes them feel so good.

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“When you use real food and cook from scratch, the health benefits are tremendous,” says Katie Collier, owner of Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria in St. Louis. “This is the philosophy in Italy. This is what I learned while living there. It’s not about carbs or wheat; it’s about real food, no added sugar and beautiful, healthy oils. This is why you can go to Italy and eat a ton of pasta and not gain weight.”

Sean Ferraro, owner/chef of Madison Avenue Pizza in Dunedin, Florida, agrees. “I often remind my customers that, unlike most foods, the ingredients that go into our pizza have no preservatives or ingredients that you can’t pronounce, and they’re minimally processed,” Ferraro says. “Our dough, like most doughs, is made with flour, spring water, salt, sugar, olive oil and yeast. Our sauce is just whole ground tomatoes with a little sea salt and some herbs. They are minimally processed and straightforward.”

So why do so many people think eating pizza will pack on the pounds? Maybe because it’s the go-to meal for a good time, Ferraro suggests. “I think pizza gets a bad rap because it can be the quintessential ‘binge’ food for people that are watching a football game, filling their stomachs after a night out drinking, or numerous other times when healthy eating isn’t a concern. But pizza isn’t just for binge eating, especially with the modern pizza movement that focuses on fresh, local and high-quality ingredients.”

The “All Foods Fit” Philosophy

Collier, who plans to open her third store this year, has gotten positive feedback about her food from customers with diabetes. “Our pizzas and pastas don’t spike their blood sugar, and it’s the same with gluten-intolerant customers,” she says. “They don’t have as many reactions.” That’s no surprise to Collier, who also grows herbs for her dishes—basil, oregano, mint, rosemary, tarragon, etc.—in patio gardens at every store. “When you use very fresh, organic ingredients and make food from scratch without processing, you eliminate a lot of the harm that we’re seeing from our