Pizza is not only delicious but can also be a healthy meal choice when thought is put into its preparation. Though many frozen and fast-food varieties tend to be high in calories, fat, sodium and other unhealthy ingredients, pizza can be made healthier.
Pizza can help you absorb the antioxidant Lycopene. Lycopene is found in tomatoes, which are used to make the base sauce for pizzas. Lycopene helps to lower blood pressure and bring down high cholesterol. It's also more easily absorbed from cooked tomatoes as opposed to fresh tomatoes.
Fat Content
The cheese on pizza is high in saturated fat, which increases your risk for high cholesterol and heart disease. Each 5-ounce serving of cheese pizza contains 18.5 grams of fat, or 28 percent of the daily value for fat. Saturated fat makes up about 6.5 grams of this fat, or 33 percent of the DV.
But since pizza is still a source of saturated fat (about five grams) and chock-full of sodium, limit it to once a week and load up on those veggies.
Technically speaking, thin-crust pizza is healthier than thick-crust pizza! The thinner a pizza crust is, the fewer calories and carbohydrates it contains. Thin crust pizza also has less salt, less sodium, and less saturated fat.
When it comes to health, you can choose either, but the type of pizza or pasta you compare will determine which is healthier. A tomato-based pasta is preferable to pizza or cream-based pasta. Thin crust, veggie-loaded pizzas contain less flour and more vegetables, making them an excellent choice.
Three slices per adult and two slices per child offer a good base to start from when you're estimating how many pizzas to order. If you know in advance that you have guests with major pizza appetites, allow for one or two more slices per person, just to be safe.
2 pizza slices contain 18 gram of total fat out of which 8 gram is the harmful saturated fat. On the other hand, a burger contains 19.8 gram of total fat, out of which 9.2 comes from saturated fat. Although low in total calories, a burger is higher in fat content than pizza slices.
Serotonin is produced from carbs
You'll be shocked to know that the carb-fest that is pizza actually fills you with serotonin. This is partially because when you're craving pizza and that craving is satisfied, your brain produces serotonin. This is also because carbs are used heavily to make serotonin.
It won't even affect your weight. In the short term, your weight will only increase by the actual weight of the pizza, according to Angelone. (Only eating excess calories over time will contribute to fat gains, she adds.)
While there are exceptions, most are high in calories, sugar and sodium. They're typically highly processed and contain artificial preservatives, added sugar and unhealthy fats.
Pizza is a common fast food category in the United States, with nationwide chains including Papa John's, Domino's Pizza, Sbarro and Pizza Hut. It trails only the burger industry in supplying children's fast food calories.
He adds that pizza shouldn't be consumed more than two or three times a month. "And it shouldn't be part of the daily diet, even less for children," he adds, "Because it is during that period of growing development that you have to provide a varied and healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruit."
For the average Joe, that means two or three slices of pizza along with veggies on the side is a good place to start. If you're out, an easy way to do it is to split a pizza between two or three dinner buddies and order some fresh sides to go with it.
Depending on what you eat, pica can damage your teeth. It can also lead to dangerous problems even when you eat things that aren't toxic. An example is when people eat hair (known as trichophagia), which can get stuck in their digestive tract, causing blockages, tearing or other damage.
Consider this: The average slice of cheese pizza packs about 285 calories, according to the USDA. If you're trying to lose weight and your goal is to consume around 1,500 calories a day, eating two slices is over a third of your daily caloric intake.
A slice of pizza: 6-8 hours
Pizza has carbs in the crust, sauce, and vegetable toppings, plus high fat and protein in the cheese, and any meat toppings. The higher fat means it takes longer to digest.
Pizza and cheese are the biggest sources of saturated fat in the American diet. As we mentioned with meat, this saturated fat clogs our brain vessels just like it clogs our heart vessels. Higher saturated fat is linked with inflammation of the brain, higher risk of stroke, and impaired memory.
Well, the subway is not very healthy for weight loss, but you can eat it as your cheat meal. Also, as subway serves everything as per your choice, you can, however, choose to make it healthy with fewer calories and fat or amongst their Fresh Fit Menu.
Fish & Chips on average have 9.42 grams of fat per 100 grams, while the average pizza has 11, chicken korma 15.5 and a donner kebab a whopping 16.2. In terms of calories, fish and chips have 595 in an average portion, an average pizza has 871, chicken korma 910 and a donner kebab 924.
Pizza is the better choice for health because pizza is a healthier lunch alternative than fried chicken. Pizza is a gluten‐free food that has vegetables and cheese in it. Fried chicken has not only the artery‐clogging saturated fat but also contributes to the epidemic of chronic disease in America.
So, eating just pizza (or just any one item) every day is not a healthy, sustainable diet." After all, we're omnivores, and our bodies require a variety of nutrients that aren't all found inside a delivery box. More to the point, boredom is a total diet killer.
The bottom line is: If you live a mostly healthy lifestyle, one slice of pizza won't change that, and you'll only gain the weight of the pizza you consumed. However, if you have health issues — including heart disease, or high blood pressure — it's obviously best not to overindulge.
According to the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), when eaten in moderation, all foods, and that means pizza, are compatible with good health.