There are three reasons why what I’m about to tell you in this post is shocking.

1) Cincinnati is almost NEVER ahead of a trend. Seriously. Things become cool here YEARS after they’ve been fully adopted in hipper cities like NY and LA and Chicago.

2) Cincinnatians are extremely loyal to their favorite pizza. Long-standing local brands like LaRosa’s and Dewey’s dominate the city and most natives are very particular about their preferences. (It’s almost as bad as the chili wars we have around here but that’s another post altogether.)

3) Pizza is not often featured in a post by a health blogger (unless you count vegan pizza, but we all remember how that turned out.)

Well Cincinnati, there’s a new game in town. It’s trendy. It’s pizza. And – drumroll – it’s healthy!

Naked Pizza opened its first store in Ohio last Friday, just in time for the meatless Fridays of Lent. Cincinnati has a BIG Catholic population and thus meatless Fridays are a big deal around here. (In fact, the McDonalds Filet-O-Fish sandwich was invented by a Cincinnati-based franchisee in 1962 in a showdown with founder Ray Croc. Read that story here.)

So, consider Naked Pizza as an option for meatless Fridays or your weekly family pizza night, and a healthy option at that.

What’s so healthy about it?

From their own press release, “Naked Pizza’s recipe is based on the use of all-natural ingredients with no added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fat, hormones or preservatives. Its crust is made from an Ancestral Blend® of ten grains, prebiotic fiber from the agave plant and special heat resistant probiotics or “healthful” bacteria. The diversity of nutrients and fiber along with the added probiotics support digestive health. According to co-founder Jeff Leach, it’s a recipe based on a 200,000-year-old nutritional blueprint, and a taste that’s all pizza – saucy, cheesy, still round, still comes in a square box, and delivered fast to your door.”

All that delivers a cheese pizza with 161 calories and 7 grams of fat per slice (in a 14″ pie). They have the range of meat and vegetable toppings you’d expect, but theirs are all hormone and antibiotic free. Check out their website at nakedpizza.biz for more information, pizza varieties and full nutritional information.

We got Naked on Friday for lunch (giggle) and thought it was excellent. I tried the Greenhouse pizza with a skinny crust – delicious.

The Cincinnati location is located at 3646 Edwards Rd in Hyde Park. They offer takeout or deliver within a 9 mile radius.

NY, LA, and Chicago? We’re way out ahead of you on this one.