Today is National Pizza Day, Feb. 9 (audio)

Vegan pizza is great (pinterest.com).

As Americans and former Italians, we love our pizza pie, which was never eaten in Italy (Ancient Rome) before some American concocted it. They had panini, an herbed flatbread, but it took American innovation to give us the addictive mess we all love now.

We love our pizzas, and they come in so many varieties, too. As we nosh on our favorite, explore a few pizza facts: Vegan pizza with gluten-free crust is the most interesting pizza choice, certainly the healthiest. Add a few grilled veggies on it and it's the best tasting, too.

• Starchy cauliflower actually makes a good crust.
• Over 3 billion pizzas are sold in the USA each year.
• Add another 1 billion on frozen pizzas in the US.
• 17% of all restaurants are pizzerias.
• Americans consume 23 pounds of pizza a year on average.

"Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba" is credited as the first pizzeria; it opened in Naples, Italy, in 1738. Gennaro Lombardi started the first pizzeria in the US, Lombardi's Pizza, which opened in 1895 in New York City. More

• Wheat flour gluten is toxic (criticalhealthnews.com)