Concept
It's a rarity to meet someone who doesn't enjoy eating pizza. While most people assume that all pizzas are loaded in fat and calories, and can't fit into a healthy diet, if ordered properly, pizza CAN be part of a well-balanced diet. Read on to learn how to order a perfect pizza slice.
Nutrition Facts and Figures
Ordering pizza from a delivery chain or restaurant can be a challenge since one slice can be loaded with several hundred calories. This bite explains the best way to indulge in pizza without derailing your diet.
Crust
Thin Crust: In terms of calories, thin crust pizza is the best way to go. A slice of thin crust pizza has at least 50 fewer calories than a comparable slice of regular pizza. At Domino's, one large thin crust slice with tomato sauce and cheese has only 190 calories.
Beyond the Bread
Cheese: Cheese is an excellent source of calcium, and a great protein source because it contains all of your essential amino acids. While there are many wonderful low-fat varieties which would work well at home, restaurants tend to opt for the smooth, creamy texture of full-fat versions which melt more evenly. Most establishments are happy to honor requests for "light on the cheese", and many chains have even made this an option available for online ordering. By doing this, you can still enjoy the richness of the cheese while reducing your saturated fat, total fat, and overall calorie intake.
Sauce: Tomato sauce is a great source of several vitamins and minerals, as well as the antioxidant lycopene which has been associated with decreased risk for certain cancers. The sauce is a great component of pizza, providing lots of health benefits and very few calories.
Toppings: Skip meat toppings such as pepperoni and sausage that can add over 50 calories and 5 grams of fat to each slice of pizza. Veggies such as green peppers, onions, and mushrooms contain no fat, are very low in calories, and high in fiber and nutrients.
Portions
One of the hardest things about eating pizza from a restaurant is the portion size, since you are generally ordering an entire pizza rather than just one slice. Here are a few important things to keep in mind:
* While all pies usually have eight slices, the difference between one slice of a 12" pizza and one from a 14" pizza can be almost 100 calories!
* When extra pieces are sitting there it may be more tempting to take another serving. Make this a social meal so that several people can share one pie...OR immediately freeze all the pizza that you are not planning on eating so that you can save it for another night.
* A medium thin crust pizza from Dominos with "less cheese" is just under 1,000 calories. This is a great size for two people or to save half for another day. The following chart depicts the nutritional information for 1/8 of a 14" cheese pizza at a few popular pizza chains.
*Nutritional Values based on large pizzas with regular cheese topping only.
Alyse's Advice
Start off by filling up on a green salad so that you don't go into the meal feeling ravenous. Then stay on track with thin crust and light cheese. Keep your pizza simple by limiting your toppings to plain cheese, or better yet load up on the veggies, while being mindful of your pizza portion size.
Los Angeles nutritionist Alyse Levine MS, RD, founder of NutritionBite. Visit her profile on LIVESTRONG.COM.
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