There's some good stuff to be found in a pizza, like lycopene-rich tomatoes and calcium and protein from the cheese, but the sodium and saturated fat usually cancel out the benefits.
Frozen pizzas have gotten more healthful, though, by reducing fat and sometimes adding whole grains to the crust.
To cut the calories in any pizza, choose a thin crust and don't load it with fatty meats.
Also note that serving size (on the small side in all cases), and thus nutritional information, varies slightly for each product tested.
(It was difficult to find three thin-crust pizzas with the same toppings, so today's column deviates from the Sleuth's usual ''compare apples to apples'' rule. We tried to pick three products with lower fat, especially saturated fat, and sodium than other brands.) Grades are not meant to compare each product against the other but are a general impression about tastiness.
California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Margherita
Cost: $6.39 per 12.8 ounces
The label says: No nutrition claims on front of box.
Nutrition: Per 121 g serving ( 1/3 pizza): 290 calories, 13 g fat (20 percent of daily value); 5 g sat fat (25 percent daily value); 20 mg cholesterol (7 percent daily value); 0.5 g trans fat; 520 mg sodium (22 percent daily value); 13 g protein; 25 percent daily value of calcium.
The verdict: A truly gourmet-style pizza, which means most kids wouldn't consider eating it. But the cracker-thin, crispy crust with strong cheese and herb flavors won raves from one adult and two teen girl tasters. Even the adult male who usually doesn't go for this type of pizza liked it.
Grade: A
Kashi Five Cheese Tomato Pizza
Cost: $5.99 per 12.5 ounces
The label says: 14 g protein, 4 g fiber, 260 mg ALA, an Omega-3.
Nutrition: Per 118 g serving ( 1/3 pizza): 290 calories; 9 g total fat (14 percent daily value); 3.5 g saturated fat (18 percent daily value); 0 g trans fat; 20 mg cholesterol (7 percent daily value); 570 mg sodium (24 percent daily value), 14 g protein; 20 percent daily value of calcium.
The verdict: The whole-grain crust dominated the cheeses, though the bits of tomato got good marks from one taster for flavor. The sauce was nicely spicy. This reheated well in the oven the next day.
Grade: B
DiGiorno Harvest Wheat Thin Crispy Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Cost: $6.29 per 22.2 ounces
The label says: Excellent source of calcium; excellent source of protein; 8 grams of whole grain per serving.
Nutrition: Per 126 grams (1/5 pizza): 270 calories, 10 g fat (15 percent daily value), 4.5 g saturated fat (23 percent daily value); 0 g trans fat; 25 mg cholesterol (8 percent daily value); 720 mg sodium (30 percent daily value); 15 g protein; 20 percent daily value calcium.
The verdict: Our tasters agreed this tasted pretty much like any other frozen pepperoni pizza from the freezer case -- which is probably a good thing if you don't want your kids to think you're sneaking ''healthy'' substitutes for their favorite foods. OK crust, mildly spicy sauce. More sodium than other brands.
Grade: C
The bottom line: Slicing the fat doesn't cut into these pizzas' taste.
