Top it off…

Cheese is both the good news and the bad news. It provides calcium for strong bones and high-quality protein for building muscles, but it can derail your diet with huge amounts of kilojoules and saturated fat, says sports dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. ‘A good guideline is no more than 115g of cheese for a pizza that serves four,’ says Scritchfield. The real thrill of pizza-making is choosing the rest of the toppings. Perhaps it goes without saying that there are virtually limitless tasty and vitamin-rich veggie options, and you can get creative with choices like fennel or broad beans. Sliced pears or figs add a sweet contrast to your savoury slice. Committed carnivores are well catered for, too, with healthy choices like sirloin steak and pork fillet strips packing a lean, flavourful punch.

Topping the balance

For a well-balanced pizza, combine earthy ingredients (mushrooms, spinach) with sweet (peppers, onion) and salty (parmesan, olives, anchovies), while resisting those that lack nutritional punch. We’ve rated classic toppings to see which earn their spot on the top, and which you should ditch. Then we’ve suggested some options you may not associate with pizza (yet), but which deliver on flavour and health.

Dough-gooders

Mushrooms
For a low-kilojoule cost, mushrooms deliver umami flavour and cancer-fighting compounds called beta-glucans.

Onions
The bulbs are laced with quercetin, an antioxidant that may improve endurance.

Spinach
Nitrates in this leaf may bolster muscle function by improving muscular contraction.

Sliced tomato
Packed with the super-nutrient lycopene and with just 40kcal in 10 slices, they don’t hurt your waistline.

Olives
Packed with beneficial phytonutrients, a source of iron and big salty flavour.

Oregano/basil/thyme
Herbs add a punch of flavour to pizza for virtually no kilojoules.

Pineapple
A controversial choice in taste terms, perhaps, but the ‘Hawaiian’ staple is brimming with vitamin C.

Chicken
Provides low-fat protein and niacin, a B vitamin needed for converting food into energy.

Ham
Unlike most other meats at the pizzeria, ham is low in heart-hampering saturated fat.

Chillies
Rich in vitamins C and B, plus other antioxidants. Research suggests they may also fire your metabolism.

Broccoli
Loaded with cancer-fighting sulforaphane.

Aubergine
A boost of fibre and health-promoting antioxidants.

Anchovies
A sustainable source of heart-healthy omega-3 fats.

Eggs
Protein and the brain-boosting compound choline.

Fat chance!

Pepperoni
Nitrites found in cured meats such as pepperoni have been shown to raise diabetes risk. Better protein toppings include chicken, prawn and lean steak.

Green pepper
Go with more nutrient-dense red peppers.

Sausage
A fat bomb. A healthier choice is chicken sausage.

Minced beef
Opt for slices of leaner steak such as sirloin or lean minced beef.

Get creative

Avocado
Loaded with vitamin K, folate and vitamin C.

Broad beans
For fibre and folate, a B vitamin that’s been shown to fend off hypertension.

Fennel
Liquorice flavour and a hefty hit of vitamin C.

Kale
For vitamin K – higher intakes may cut diabetes risk.

Nuts
Almonds or pistachios add heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

Sweet piquante peppers
Sweet-spicy capsaicin, which may help with weight loss.

Pork tenderloin
Underrated lean meat with great texture for pizza.

Right ho, cheese!

Brie
The ripening process that produces oozy cheeses boosts levels of anti-inflammatory compounds to help fend off heart trouble.

Mozzarella
Scritchfield says the high water content makes these springy white balls less kilojoule-dense.

Goat’s cheese
Rich in heart-healthy omega-3s and bone-strengthening calcium, and packs around 30 per cent less fat than cheddar.

Ricotta
‘Ricotta contains more whey than other cheeses, which is great for improving recovery and building lean body mass,’ says Scritchfield.

Pecorino
Blend into sauces for a sharp-tasting, kilojoule-controlled flavour punch.

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