Pizza is a timeless favorite food in American culture. It is relatively inexpensive, tasty and can even be considered a healthy choice depending on how it is prepared. Mypyramid.gov describes pizza as a "mixed food," the ingredients of which come from more than one food group. Plain cheese pizza contains ingredients from the grain, dairy and vegetable groups. One slice, or 1/8 of an original crust cheese pizza from a 14-inch pie made at the chain restaurant Papa John's may or may not be representative of the ingredients found in a typical slice of cheese pizza from other vendors.
Calories
Papa John's produces many varieties and sizes of pizza. To get a baseline of nutrition information for pizza, it's a good idea to look at the values in an average-size slice with no added toppings. According to Papajohns.com, one slice of a 14-inch pie is 1/8 of the whole pizza. One slice of Papa John's original crust cheese pizza has 290 calories per serving.
Fat
The nutritional information for original crust cheese pizza reveals that one slice of a 14-inch pie has 10 grams of total fat, which is 15 percent of the Daily Value. Of the 10 grams of total fat in one slice, 4.5 grams are saturated fat, which represents 24 percent of the Daily Value of saturated fat. There are 0 grams of trans fat in one slice and 20 milligrams of cholesterol, which is 8 percent of the Daily Value.
Sodium
A single slice of Papa John's 14-inch original crust cheese pizza has 720 milligrams of sodium, which translates to 30 percent of the Daily Value of sodium. It is interesting to note that a single slice of a Papa John's thin crust cheese pizza contains 380 milligrams of sodium, nearly half that amount.
Carbohydrates and Fiber
One slice of a 14-inch original crust cheese pizza contains 37 grams of carbohydrates, which is 12 percent of the Daily Value. The same serving size contains 4 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fiber, which is 8 percent of the Daily Value.
Protein
Eating one slice of a 14-inch Papa John's original crust cheese pizza provides 11 grams of protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
The cheese, tomato sauce and grain in plain pizza can be good sources of some essential vitamins and minerals. One serving of a 14-inch Papa John's original crust cheese pizza provides 4 percent of the Daily Value of vitamin A, 6 percent of the Daily Value of vitamin C, 20 percent of the Daily Value of calcium and 10 percent of the Daily Value of iron.
A Word About Daily Values
On its webpage for nutrition information regarding original crust cheese pizza, Papajohns.com explains that percent of Daily Value is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Daily value percentages can change significantly if the total number of calories eaten per day are significantly higher or lower than 2,000.
Member Comments