Is Pizza Really that Bad?

So what do you think is the unhealthiest food you can eat – cheeseburgers, french fries, Chinese food, donuts, candy bars or pizza? The USDA (the food police … and I’m not referring to Mayor Bloomberg) has stated that pizza is one of the unhealthiest foods you can eat!  Before you throw out all your take out pizza menus, read on to learn why pizza MAY be one of the unhealthiest foods and what you can do to make it a little better. READ MORE

I must say I am somewhat guilty in the pizza department. About once a week on my way home from gym at 10 pm (when I am exhausted, not in a cooking mood and am experiencing “food seeking behavior …), I will stop in at my local pizza shop for a slice of pizza. So what’s so bad about that?

 Pizza stats
 The UDSA’s new Dietary Guidelines just came out in January 2010 and reinforced how unhealthy sodium and saturated fat are and reminded us of the strong association they have to cardiovascular disease. Now the bad news for pizza:

– *Number 2 source of saturated sat

– *Number 3 source of sodium

– *Second biggest source of calories for children and adolescents

– Average NYC plain slice: 500 calories

– Added meat:   650 calories

– Sbarro one slice cheese:  459 calories

– Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza:  620 calories

– A slice of pizza (or 500 calories worth of smaller slices) contains 1200-1500 mg of sodium. Our daily goal is less than 2300 mg – and some people need to aim for as little as 1500 mg!

No who eats just one slice????

Tips to minimize pizza damage
1. Make your own pizza with whole wheat dough, low fat mozzeralla, low sodium tomato sauce and tons of veggies.

2. Get a slice of whole wheat pizza with veggies. There is a great place in my neighborhood called Pizza Park where they make whole wheat slices with tons of veggies and minimal cheese.

3. Get thin crust pizza if possible.

4. If you are getting a pie made, request less cheese and extra veggies. Or go totally cheese less.

5. Have only one slice and add a salad.  (pic: fotobank.ru)

6. If you do like to indulge in more than one slice of pizza, make it a special treat. Maybe one every 2-3 weeks.

*As per the USDA Dietary Guidelines