You Can Have Your Pizza and Eat It Too
It’s no secret that America is the land of plenty, and when it comes to food these days even supersized is considered undersized. Double burgers, extra large orders of fries, Big Gulps and huge slices of New York style pizza, these bloated proportions that have become the norm are leading to bigger bloated bodies.
According to a study published by the CDC in 2008 obesity has increased dramatically within the last 20 years, so much so that only one state in our fair nation, Colorado, had an obesity rate of less than 20%. While we continue to grow bigger as a country, information regarding healthy eating habits as well as options to practice healthful eating is everywhere, it’s a matter of putting them into place. And that includes one of America’s favorites, pizza, long considered fattening and unhealthy. Here are some tips for keeping it wholesome:
• Think vegetarian: meat toppings such as sausage and pepperoni are loaded with fat and sodium, so skip these and try veggies instead. You’ll decrease calories and maybe your blood pressure in one fell swoop, plus get extra benefits from the fiber in the vegetables.
• Change the cheese: loads of gooey cheese makes pizza one high calorie option. But don’t despair; there are plenty of ways to skirt this issue. You can ask the pizzeria to go light on the cheese, or, you can ask them to make it with part skim milk mozzarella. Another way to cut calories is to ask them to substitute parmesan cheese for the standard mozzarella altogether, as parmesan is much lower in fat and will give your pie a lot of flavor.
• Get the skinny: Thin crust pizza has less dough than regular and thick crust versions, which are high calorically and low on fiber, making dough in general slower to digest. You can also ask for wheat or whole grain crust where available, which automatically adds fiber, making it a better option.
• One plus: yes, I’ll say it, only eat one piece of pizza! Impossible you say? It’s not, really. Add a big salad or low fat soup to round out your meal and fill you up.
• Skip the sauce: instead of pizza sauce which can have lots of sugar and preservatives, ask for fresh tomato, olive oil and/or garlic instead.
Next time you’re out for pizza put these tips to work for you. You’ll find you can have your pizza and eat it too, without packing on the pounds!
