Pizza nutrition, glycemic index, calories, and serving size
Pizza Glycemic index (GI)
Pizza is a versatile dish with various interchangeable ingredients. Traditionally, pizza consists of a wheat based dough and toppings such as cheese and tomatoes. Depending on these toppings, the glycemic index of a pizza can naturally greatly vary.
Based on the numbers from The International Tables of Glycemic Index Values, cheese pizza from Canada has a glycemic index of 60. At the same time pizza, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce, from Italy has a GI of 80 (1).
The pan “Super Supreme” pizza with a thick crust, containing ham, peperoni, Italian sausage, beef, pork, mushrooms, green pepper, onions and black olives, has a glycemic index of 36±6. The GI of the same pizza with a thin and crisp crust falls in the range of 30±4. Stone baked pizza with vegetables, pesto and feta cheese has a GI of 54±4 (2).
Pizza with shredded mozzarella cheese and a tomato base, from Australia, has a glycemic index of 60 (3).
As most pizza toppings such as tomatoes, cheese and meat have low glycemic indices, it can be presumed that a pizza’s glycemic index mostly depends on the qualities of the pizza dough. Research shows that pizzas made from refined wheat flour, as opposed to whole wheat or mixed flours, have a higher glycemic index (4).
Pizza, baked with sourdough instead of brewer’s yeast and leavened for a longer amount of time resulted in a lower blood glucose level after consumption (5).
In conclusion, most types of commercial pizzas have a moderate to high glycemic indices, however, through alteration of methods of preparation, the glycemic index of a pizza can be lowered.
Sources.
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/suppl/2008/09/18/dc08-1239.DC1/TableA2_1.pdf
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/diacare/suppl/2008/09/18/dc08-1239.DC1/TableA1_1.pdf
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/93/5/984/4597984
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340909542
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/42/10/e157
Important nutritional characteristics for Pizza
Check out similar food or compare with current
Macronutrients chart
NEW NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
Serving Size ______________
Health checks
Pizza nutrition infographic
Mineral coverage chart
Mineral chart - relative view
Vitamin coverage chart
Vitamin chart - relative view
Protein quality breakdown
Fat type information
Carbohydrate type breakdown
Fiber content ratio for Pizza
All nutrients for Pizza per 100g
| Nutrient | DV% | In TOP % of foods | Value | Comparison |
| Protein | 27% | 41% | 11.39g |
4 times more than Broccoli 
|
| Fats | 15% | 35% | 9.69g |
3.4 times less than Cheese 
|
| Carbs | 11% | 25% | 33.33g |
1.2 times more than Rice 
|
| Calories | 13% | 35% | 266kcal |
5.7 times more than Orange 
|
| Starch | 11% | 90% | 26.95g |
1.8 times more than Potato 
|
| Fructose | 1% | 86% | 1g |
5.9 times less than Apple 
|
| Sugar | 0% | 52% | 3.58g |
2.5 times less than Coca-Cola 
|
| Fiber | 9% | 33% | 2.3g |
Equal to Orange
|
| Calcium | 19% | 12% | 188mg |
1.5 times more than Milk 
|
| Iron | 31% | 28% | 2.48mg |
Equal to Beef 
|
| Magnesium | 6% | 46% | 24mg |
5.8 times less than Almond 
|
| Phosphorus | 31% | 31% | 216mg |
1.2 times more than Chicken meat 
|
| Potassium | 5% | 66% | 172mg |
1.2 times more than Cucumber 
|
| Sodium | 26% | 16% | 598mg |
1.2 times more than White Bread 
|
| Zinc | 12% | 47% | 1.34mg |
4.7 times less than Beef
|
| Copper | 12% | 50% | 0.11mg |
1.4 times less than Shiitake 
|
| Vitamin E | 6% | 49% | 0.83mg |
1.8 times less than Kiwifruit 
|
| Vitamin D | 0% | 100% | 0µg |
N/A 
|
| Vitamin C | 2% | 39% | 1.4mg |
37.9 times less than Lemon 
|
| Vitamin B1 | 33% | 22% | 0.39mg |
1.5 times more than Pea 
|
| Vitamin B2 | 15% | 47% | 0.2mg |
1.5 times more than Avocado 
|
| Vitamin B3 | 24% | 43% | 3.83mg |
2.5 times less than Turkey meat 
|
| Vitamin B6 | 6% | 70% | 0.08mg |
1.5 times less than Oat 
|
| Folate | 23% | 25% | 93µg |
1.5 times more than Brussels sprout 
|
| Vitamin B12 | 18% | 51% | 0.42µg |
1.7 times less than Pork 
|
| Vitamin K | 6% | 53% | 6.7µg |
15.2 times less than Broccoli
|
| Threonine | 0% | 75% | 0.41mg |
1.8 times less than Beef
|
| Isoleucine | 0% | 72% | 0.56mg |
1.6 times less than Salmon 
|
| Leucine | 0% | 71% | 1.14mg |
2.1 times less than Tuna 
|
| Lysine | 0% | 73% | 0.77mg |
1.7 times more than Tofu 
|
| Methionine | 0% | 73% | 0.26mg |
2.8 times more than Quinoa 
|
| Phenylalanine | 0% | 70% | 0.66mg |
Equal to Egg
|
| Valine | 0% | 71% | 0.72mg |
2.8 times less than Soybean 
|
| Histidine | 0% | 73% | 0.36mg |
2.1 times less than Turkey meat
|
| Cholesterol | 6% | 44% | 17mg |
21.9 times less than Egg
|
| Trans Fat | 0% | 54% | 0.24g |
61.8 times less than Margarine 
|
| Saturated Fat | 22% | 27% | 4.47g |
1.3 times less than Beef
|
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0% | 47% | 2.61g |
3.8 times less than Avocado
|
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0% | 35% | 1.68g |
28.1 times less than Walnut 
|
References
The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article and glycemic index text the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.