🍕 How to Read a Pizza Menu Without Regret.

From restaurants to takeout chains, here’s how to order pizza that won’t leave you bloated and tired.

Why Pizza Wrecks You

We all know the feeling — you order pizza, eat a few slices and need to continue eating more, and then wonder why you’re bloated, sluggish, or craving dessert. The problem isn’t just “pizza.” It’s what’s hiding in the crust, cheese, and oils.

• Crust: Domino’s and Papa John’s use starches, gums, sugars, and dough conditioners that make digestion harder. Plus, pesticides!

• Cheese: Always pasteurized, processed, and full of fillers. I call it “dead cheese” — stripped of nutrients and hard on your gut with wood pulp (a real ingredient in there).

• Oils: Canola, sunflower, or rapeseed oils sneak into crusts and toppings, driving inflammation.

👉 Re-evaluating how to order is the simplest way to feel good after pizza night.

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Two Clean Ways to Order Pizza at a Restaurant

Here’s how to make a restaurant pizza work for you:

1. Margarita Pizza

• Cauliflower or gluten-free crust (cauliflower is usually best)

• Red sauce

• No cheese

• Add spinach + drizzle of olive oil + sprinkle of salt

2. Build Your Own Pizza

• Gluten-free crust (or sourdough if that’s the only option)

• Red sauce

• Load on veggies (onions, peppers, spinach, mushrooms)

• Add protein (ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni)

• No cheese, always

Yes, it looks different — but it tastes fresh and leaves you energized instead of exhausted.

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What’s Really in Fast-Food Pizza Crusts

Domino’s Regular Crust

• Refined wheat flour + dough conditioners (ascorbic acid, L-cysteine)

• Rapeseed oil

• Whey powder (dairy)

• Sugar + emulsifiers

Domino’s Gluten-Free Crust

• Tapioca starch, brown rice flour

• Canola oil, egg whites, xanthan gum

• Cane sugar + cultured corn syrup solids

Papa John’s Gluten-Free Crust

• Sorghum flour, teff flour, quinoa flour (better flours 👍)

• Egg whites

• Canola/olive oil blend

• Xanthan gum + “natural flavors”

👉 Papa John’s crust is less bad than Domino’s, but both still bring starches, gums, seed oils, and additives.

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👀 Want my exact ordering guide for Domino’s and Papa John’s (what crust to pick, toppings to say yes/no to, and my go-to “less toxic” orders)? Plus my full restaurant pizza playbook (supreme, Hawaiian, pesto, meat lovers)? Paid subscribers get it all.

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Best Pizza Orders at Dominos, Papa John’s & Pizza Restaurants