Unless you make it yourself, it’s tough to serve up a healthy pizza. All the fat, calories, and sodium wouldn't matter as much if Super Bowl Sunday was the only day Americans ate pizza, but it’s not.

On any given day, it’s on the menu for one in eight people, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And on those days, it accounts for 25 percent of the average adult’s calories and a third of the sodium. Fortunately with a few simple tweaks you can turn take-out pies from one of the chains or your local pizzeria into a healthier pizza.

1. Downsize your pie

Opt for medium pizzas over large ones. “It can make a big nutritional difference on a slice-by-slice basis, and no one is likely to mind that the slices are a little smaller,” says Maxine Siegel, R.D., head of the food testing lab at Consumer Reports.

For example, one slice from a large cheese pizza at Papa John’s has 290 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 710 milligrams of sodium. A medium slice has 210 calories, 8 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and 520 milligrams of sodium.

2. Don’t get it stuffed

Stuffing the crust with cheese adds about 30 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 90 milligrams of sodium per slice. And speaking of cheese, we don’t have to tell you that the words “extra,” “double,” and “triple” cheese boosts calories, fat, and sodium.

Feel like cooking for your Super Bowl party? Check out our gas grill Ratings and our grilling tips, including how to use your grill as a pizza oven. Or try our recipe for healthier buffalo wings.

3. Go thin, not deep

You’ll get a lot more calories and fat in a deep dish or pan-style pizza than in a regular pie. For instance, Little Caesars Deep Deep pepperoni has 350 calories and 18 grams of fat per slice. A slice of its regular pepperoni pie has 280 calories and 11 grams of fat. On the other hand, opting for the thin crust version, when available, usually saves you calories. At Papa John’s, you’ll cut 80 calories per large slice of a cheese pizza. At Domino’s, a large thin crust slice has about 60 fewer calories.

4. Pile on the veggies

Any vegetable makes a healthier topping than meat. Most marry well with pizza, so mix and match your favorites. At the chains, vegetable pizzas tend have lower calories and fat—and there are a surprising number of decent choices.

Per medium thin-crust slice, Pizza Hut’s Veggie Lovers pie has 180 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 570 milligrams of sodium. Its Garden Party pizza is just a little higher, with 190 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 530 milligrams of sodium.

A slice of a large Garden Fresh thin-crust pie at Papa John’s has 220 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 480 milligrams of sodium. Little Caesars’ veggie pizza (regular crust) has 270 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 560 milligrams per large slice. The calorie count for a large thin crust cheese pizza with tomato and spinach at Domino's is 200 per slice.

If you must have meat, go for chicken or lean ham instead of sausage or pepperoni.

5. Start with a salad

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that women who had a large mixed salad (about 3 cups) before a meal ate 12 percent fewer calories, even when the salad calories were factored in.

No greens in sight at your party? Head for the crudité platter and nosh on sliced veggies. Then sit back, watch the game, and enjoy your healthy pizza guilt-free.

—Trisha Calvo

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