What Part of a Veggie Pizza Should You Actually Eat?

Pizza is everywhere in the U.S.—and not just on dinner tables. It’s in school cafeterias, office parties, airport terminals, and birthday celebrations. It's by far one of the most consumed foods in the country.

But here's something that caught my attention: the amount of pizza wasted in the U.S. daily could feed millions of people. That’s billions of dollars tossed away—on a food we love enough to order but not always enough to finish.

That got me thinking: what exactly are we eating, and more importantly, what part of the pizza should we be eating?

My Pizza Dilemma

Whenever we order pizza, and I eat more than a slice or two, I end up with a dull headache that starts in my neck. Not exactly the "comfort food" vibe I was going for.

Oddly enough, when we ordered a thin crust, no sauce veggie pizza, I felt better afterward. No headache. No neck ache. It made me wonder—what is it about regular pizza that messes with my body?

Sauce or Science?

Let’s talk sauce. Realistically, nobody’s grating fresh tomatoes for every order when pizzas are expected to be ready in 15 minutes. We’re most likely getting a canned or premade sauce—made from tomatoes harvested who knows how long ago, processed, stored, and heated through multiple temperature cycles. In that salty red liquid, various chemical reactions may have happened… or failed to complete. By the time it lands on your pizza, what’s really in there?

That uncertainty gives me pause.

The Crusty Truth

Next up: the crust. The browning of dough during baking leads to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These compounds are linked to inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. The thicker the crust—and the more browned—the higher the potential AGE load. If you're sensitive like me, that might be part of the problem.

Cheese: Not Exactly the Hero

“Okay, what about cheese pizza?” you might ask.

Well, cheese isn’t off the hook either. It’s high in fat, but not necessarily a great source of quality protein. Plus, think about how long that giant mozzarella log sat around before it hit your pizza. Preservatives? Stabilizers? More mystery ingredients? Probably.

That Leaves… Veggies?

At this point, the safest part of a pizza seems to be the veggies—if we’re lucky enough that they weren’t cooked into mush or drowned in oil.

So the next time you grab a slice, it might be worth asking: what am I really eating?

Food for Thought

Pizza is quick, available, affordable, and let’s be honest—loved by whining children and stressed-out adults alike. But beyond convenience, what is it actually bringing to the table?

What’s your experience with pizza? Ever get strange symptoms from it, or are you one of the lucky ones who can eat it by the box?

Let me know in the comments!