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Pizza Is a Healthier Breakfast Than Most Cereals

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Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I don't know, when we compare both relative to calories, cereal (at least the one I like) looks better. It would look even better if the comparison was with milk. Main reason because 400 calories of cheerios (my typical breakfast calories) have a much larger volume than a large slice of pizza.
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2018
    Pizza is really varied, cereal is pretty varied too. It's impossible to generalize about one being better nutritionally, especially without knowing the plan for the rest of the day or someone's goals.

    I like breakfasts with vegetables, so from that perspective pizza would be better as my preferred pizza has lots of vegetables on it and with cereal you'd have to add them on the side, they don't inherently come with. But you could do that, since a normal serving of cereal would have fewer calories (yesterday I had oats with berries and soy milk and walnuts and then brussels sprouts on the side).

    All that aside, leftover pizza is a delicious breakfast.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Pizza is really varied, cereal is pretty varied too. It's impossible to generalize about one being better nutritionally, especially without knowing the plan for the rest of the day or someone's goals.

    I like breakfasts with vegetables, so from that perspective pizza would be better as my preferred pizza has lots of vegetables on it and with cereal you'd have to add them on the side, they don't inherently come with. But you could do that, since a normal serving of cereal would have fewer calories (yesterday I had oats with berries and soy milk and walnuts and then brussels sprouts on the side).

    All that aside, leftover pizza is a delicious breakfast.

    Yep, I do have pizza for breakfast sometimes. Not too filling for the calories, but sometimes I just want it and supplement with extra vegetables for volume. Blanket statements are silly, that's why I compared what I would eat in both and how it would compare satiety-wise for me. It's also silly to compare based solely on nutrition or even satiety. Sometimes pizza is what I need mentally and in those cases it most certainly is healthier than cereal because it's healthier for my mental health and dieting.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    regarding the 1/2 cookie serving...

    Had the same experience with Naan at Safeway. 190 calories per serving which turned out to be 1/2 slice. I didn't notice until I ate the whole thing. I should have known better.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    ladyreva78 wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    I snack on dry cereal when I want to get my iron target up. But I never liked it in milk and that hasn't changed.

    Yup - dry Cheerios and Corn Flakes are my go to snacks.

    Choco Krispies in Greek yogurt :wink:

    I ewed this when I saw it.
    Now I'm wondering if rice crispies would act like granola in my yogurt for me. It's the only reason I eat granola- give me yogurt some texture. now I'm going to have to try.

    I actually crumble up Special K Protein and put it on top of my Greek yogurt. If I use a half serving it gives me another 5g of protein - and I could do a whole serving for 10g protein for I think 120 calories. It adds nice crunch to it! I also have used Whole Grain Total crumbled up on my yogurt too. Fewer calories but very little protein and not as tasty as the Special K which has a hint of cinnamon.

    ohmgr- I used to do this when I had cereal in the house!! It's such a great idea. It fell off the radar- maybe I should pick it up again!
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    Am I the only one who thinks, generally speaking (not counting granola because holy calorie bomb Batman), that cereal is pretty good volume wise for the calories? I can have a giant bowl of say Cheerios for not ridiculous calories. Not saying it fills me up especially but if I want to scratch the cereal itch it's not hard to fit in.

    I hate Cheerios. They taste awful. Except for the multi-grain Cheerios they are decent at least. And Honey Nut Cheerios are kind of good but ordinary Cheerios blah
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    I’d argue against that and in favor of cereal being in all around healthier choice for mornings or afternoons. What do you think pizza is? I’m not being funny here. Really think about it. You have meat, tomato sauce and bread that is most often not whole wheat. The carbs from the bread alone cause a big insulin spike because carbs convert to sugar. Yeah.. the thing you said was bad about cereal is actually in pizza. Sugar is a tricky beast that you must out smart. It’s in the tomato sauce too btw. Here’s what you can do. Adding cinnamon to cereal mimics insulin in the body and helps lower the odds of a spike from the sugar. I don't recommend sugary cereals but at least with cereal you have options. Ever eaten whole wheat pizza? Me either.

    Now the meat is a totally different avenue. If you eat meat for breakfast your body will need quite a few hours to digest that. Plan on eating soon after? That may not be a big concern to some but cereal has more flexibility. Chose bran cereals or whole wheat types for the fiber value. OVERALL. Cereal is the better choice to ensure you start and end your day right, fortifying your body with nutrients.

    You do realise cereal is almost exclusively carbs right?

    Wait, I missed the cinnamon nonsense. Well, almost all of it is nonsense but the cinnamon one is a new level of nonsense.

    Why do you assume carbs are bad? I live an active lifestyle and enjoy carbs because they burn off as energy. The only bad carbs are simple carbs. Eating healthy grain cereals are complex carbs. There isn’t a negative draw to slow released energy or carbs unless you don't use them.

    Explain to me why cinnamon being used to slow glucose absorption is nonsense?

    Why are simple carbs bad?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    wizzybeth wrote: »
    Am I the only one who thinks, generally speaking (not counting granola because holy calorie bomb Batman), that cereal is pretty good volume wise for the calories? I can have a giant bowl of say Cheerios for not ridiculous calories. Not saying it fills me up especially but if I want to scratch the cereal itch it's not hard to fit in.

    I hate Cheerios. They taste awful. Except for the multi-grain Cheerios they are decent at least. And Honey Nut Cheerios are kind of good but ordinary Cheerios blah

    I did follow this up by saying I used Cheerios as an easy international reference point. I'm in the UK, so I'm good like that taking into consideration my far flung MFPers. My jam is more down in the kiddy section of cereals.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    edited February 2018
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    63 grams of each, less calories and sugar in the pizza. And that's a Dominoes Meatlovers with classic base v Cornflakes (not one of the 'sugar' cereals). Sodium is about on par, lots more protein in the pizza.

    Oh, and for the same calories as your 63 g of Cornflakes, you could have 1 and a half slices of the pizza.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »

    then why are Len and Larry cookies not one serving?

    because one cookie in a package in theory should equal one serving- and it's not.

    My understanding: If the package is small enough that one could "reasonably" assume a person would eat it all at once but it's technically more than one serving based on the RACC ("Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed" from the database), then the food company is "encouraged" but not required to list it as one serving. But because it looks better to have a smaller calorie number, many companies don't choose to do this and that's why you have things like 2.5 servings of soda in a 20-ounce bottle and, of course, a single cookie that is listed as two servings.

    But this loophole only applies to smaller packages, it wouldn't come into play for an entire box of cereal (the original example). And it doesn't allow food companies to massage serving sizes on larger packages of food either.
    interesting- I don't know anything about this at all- but interesting- I can tell you- I was so stabby when I flipped them over and saw the serving size. they make such a big deal about the cookies -and ONLY XXX calories per serving -and protein and bla bla bla.
    *kitten*- it's a regular cookie- and the serving size is TWO- so it's like 300 effing calories.

    Team Optimum Cake Bites.
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    saintor1 wrote: »
    Just in time for the Superbowl.

    http://citnutritionally.com/pizza-healthier-breakfast-option-cereal/
    https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/pizza-healthier-breakfast-cereal
    “You may be surprised to find out that an average slice of pizza and a bowl of cereal with whole milk contain nearly the same amount of calories,” explained Chelsey Amer, MS, RDN, CDN to The Daily Meal. “However, pizza packs a much larger protein punch, which will keep you full and boost satiety throughout the morning.”

    She mentioned that pizza isn’t a health food per say; it’s certainly not your most nutritious option. But when compared with a quickly poured bowl of sugar flakes, it’s a more balanced meal.

    “Plus, a slice of pizza contains more fat and much less sugar than most cold cereals, so you will not experience a quick sugar crash,” Amer confirmed.

    As reported, most people eating cereals are using more than twice the normal serving.

    For me yes as when I eat cereal I want a mountain of it. Fill that bowl up, bb.

    It's a really sad moment when you weigh your cereal and discover what an actual "serving" (as listed on the box) is. Almost as sad as a "serving" of peanut butter.

    The first time I weighed out granola my mind was *blown.* I haven't bought it since.

    I use granola on my yogurt because all in all yogurt is gross- so I sprinkle some on top- I get sad thinking about how much it really isn't. Granola was never meant to be "health" food though- so I can't complain to much.

    Len and Larry's cookies are one of the most egregious "offenders" in this regard, IMO. They list the calories for a half cookie, but the protein and fiber stats on the front are for a whole cookie. I am pretty tolerant about stuff like this, but I feel like their practices verge on the deliberately deceptive.

    The first time I bought one, it didn't even occur to me that they'd expect me to eat half a cookie so, of course, I ate the whole thing (and I'm usually really good at catching label information). Fortunately I wasn't that thrilled with the taste, so I don't have to worry about it . . .

    I saw these at the store after I read this and looked at the packaging.

    I disagree, IMO the packaging is not on the verge of deceptive, it's all the way over the edge deceptive. Surprised they haven't been told to clean it up.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Not to mention, cereal isn't helping one hit protein goals as easily as a pizza with meat.........
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    edited February 2018
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    I’d argue against that and in favor of cereal being in all around healthier choice for mornings or afternoons. What do you think pizza is? I’m not being funny here. Really think about it. You have meat, tomato sauce and bread that is most often not whole wheat. The carbs from the bread alone cause a big insulin spike because carbs convert to sugar. Yeah.. the thing you said was bad about cereal is actually in pizza. Sugar is a tricky beast that you must out smart. It’s in the tomato sauce too btw. Here’s what you can do. Adding cinnamon to cereal mimics insulin in the body and helps lower the odds of a spike from the sugar. I don't recommend sugary cereals but at least with cereal you have options. Ever eaten whole wheat pizza? Me either.

    Now the meat is a totally different avenue. If you eat meat for breakfast your body will need quite a few hours to digest that. Plan on eating soon after? That may not be a big concern to some but cereal has more flexibility. Chose bran cereals or whole wheat types for the fiber value. OVERALL. Cereal is the better choice to ensure you start and end your day right, fortifying your body with nutrients.

    You do realise cereal is almost exclusively carbs right?

    Wait, I missed the cinnamon nonsense. Well, almost all of it is nonsense but the cinnamon one is a new level of nonsense.

    Why do you assume carbs are bad? I live an active lifestyle and enjoy carbs because they burn off as energy. The only bad carbs are simple carbs. Eating healthy grain cereals are complex carbs. There isn’t a negative draw to slow released energy or carbs unless you don't use them.

    Explain to me why cinnamon being used to slow glucose absorption is nonsense?

    Why are simple carbs bad?

    Correction** simple carbs are bad if you are not being active. They are directly linked to visceral fat.

    Studies, please.


    Sure, check out this study done on whole grains vs refined grains. Complex carb vs simple carb.
    https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/92/5/1165/4597531

    First line:

    Background: Observational studies have linked higher intakes of whole grains to lower abdominal adiposity; however, the association between whole- and refined-grain intake and body fat compartments has yet to be reported.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    I’d argue against that and in favor of cereal being in all around healthier choice for mornings or afternoons. What do you think pizza is? I’m not being funny here. Really think about it. You have meat, tomato sauce and bread that is most often not whole wheat. The carbs from the bread alone cause a big insulin spike because carbs convert to sugar. Yeah.. the thing you said was bad about cereal is actually in pizza. Sugar is a tricky beast that you must out smart. It’s in the tomato sauce too btw. Here’s what you can do. Adding cinnamon to cereal mimics insulin in the body and helps lower the odds of a spike from the sugar. I don't recommend sugary cereals but at least with cereal you have options. Ever eaten whole wheat pizza? Me either.

    Now the meat is a totally different avenue. If you eat meat for breakfast your body will need quite a few hours to digest that. Plan on eating soon after? That may not be a big concern to some but cereal has more flexibility. Chose bran cereals or whole wheat types for the fiber value. OVERALL. Cereal is the better choice to ensure you start and end your day right, fortifying your body with nutrients.

    You do realise cereal is almost exclusively carbs right?

    Wait, I missed the cinnamon nonsense. Well, almost all of it is nonsense but the cinnamon one is a new level of nonsense.

    Why do you assume carbs are bad? I live an active lifestyle and enjoy carbs because they burn off as energy. The only bad carbs are simple carbs. Eating healthy grain cereals are complex carbs. There isn’t a negative draw to slow released energy or carbs unless you don't use them.

    Explain to me why cinnamon being used to slow glucose absorption is nonsense?

    Dude, you didn't even know where to easily get lean protein, I don't think you can be up here trying to school us on carbs, insulin and nutrition. And you have displayed a deep misunderstanding of how the human body deals with each of the macros and the food content of those macros.

    Who do you think you are to make that judgement? I don’t believe you have any authority to say what I should and shouldn’t have an opinion on..
    VintageFeline, if you don’t understand something just be honest. You don't have to poke fun at me for being honest about not understanding weight loss. I understand insulin because I have a insulin problem. What do you do when you have a problem? You figure it out. Sheesh. Attitude.

    I didn't say you couldn't have an opinion but you don't get your own facts. I am basing my assessment of you on the posts you have made so far. Fancy reading back through my history to see if I have a vague idea what I'm talking about?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    billym2018 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    I’d argue against that and in favor of cereal being in all around healthier choice for mornings or afternoons. What do you think pizza is?

    I'm pretty familiar with what it is, I make it at home sometimes. (I also like restaurant pizza, though, especially some local Italian places.
    I’m not being funny here. Really think about it. You have meat, tomato sauce and bread that is most often not whole wheat.

    Mine doesn't have meat, I mostly don't like meat on pizza even when I'm eating meat, but actually that's one reason pizza can be harder (for me) to fit in, as it's lower protein than my usual meals.

    Other than that it typically has wheat flour (I use whole wheat when making it at home, but it's not that big a difference), tomato sauce, some olive oil, some cheese, and (the ones I make AND the ones I order) plenty of vegetables. I might have a side salad too (although not when having it for breakfast).

    Not really any different from pasta (except I tend to add a big more protein to pasta and less cheese).

    Re the cereal comparison: more vegetables, more fat, both have carbs. More calories, but you can compensate by having fewer calories later. Even if I didn't hate cold cereal (and as covered above, I do, I don't understand how anyone can enjoy it), it would be a bad meal for me, as it's not got a variety of macros and a single bowl would be lower cal than I like for breakfast (I'm assuming milk, but still, and also I don't like to use calories on milk).
    The carbs from the bread alone cause a big insulin spike because carbs convert to sugar. Yeah.. the thing you said was bad about cereal is actually in pizza.

    Who is "you"? And yeah, of course both have carbs, carbs aren't actually bad. (Cereal can be all starchy carbs or a combo of starch and sugar -- what would make it bad for me (in addition to me not liking it) is that it's mostly carbs. Pizza has fat and protein.
    Sugar is a tricky beast that you must out smart.

    Oh?
    It’s in the tomato sauce too btw.

    Tomatoes, like fruit and veg in general, have sugar, yeah. So? (I'm assuming homemade tomato sauce, as I use and any good restaurant would use, but frankly the sugar in jarred sauce thing is way oversold anyway -- tomatoes have sugar and they might add a bit additional but you can find ones where that is at minimum, I understand.)
    Here’s what you can do. Adding cinnamon to cereal mimics insulin in the body and helps lower the odds of a spike from the sugar. I don't recommend sugary cereals but at least with cereal you have options. Ever eaten whole wheat pizza? Me either.

    Yeah, I eat it all the time. (It's not much different nutrition-wise, but I like it, and like whole wheat pasta with a spicy tomato sauce and olives -- both of which I typically use on pizza -- too.

    You are way more scared of insulin spikes than I think most people need to be, btw. Insulin isn't evil, it helps with muscle building, but if you eat mixed macro meals that include protein, fat, and fiber, no real concern about "spikes" anyway, at least not for most.
    If you eat meat for breakfast your body will need quite a few hours to digest that. Plan on eating soon after?

    What?

    I mean, I don't generally eat soon after a meal, why would I? I like meals that fill me up until the next meal. But this idea that you can't eat right after having meat is confusing. What if I eat meat WITH something? How did I lose weight frequently eating dessert after dinner (I ate meat at dinner)?

    I am limiting meat currently due to my own ethical issues with it, but when dieting I had meat with breakfast quite a lot -- smoked salmon with a vegetable omelet. Who knew that was bad?
    Cereal is the better choice to ensure you start and end your day right, fortifying your body with nutrients.

    What if you hate cold cereal and consider it a waste of calories? Still a good choice?

    Also, I seriously doubt anyone has pizza as their regular normal breakfast, I think you took this too literally.

    I’m happy for you. Enjoying pizza with vegetables definitely makes a big healthy difference to the usual. When I said “you”, I was referring to the debate originator or person quoted Chelsey Amer.
    Tomato’s are a source of healthy sugar but I was referring to store bought pizza. Not your homemade pizza. If everyone reading takes a moment to check their freezer pizza for some kind unnatural sugar listed on the back you may be surprised to see sugar. I personally do care about insulin spikes and I mentioned it because I thought it was valuable to those that do care. Actually mixed macro meals lead to a blood pressure rise. It’s a significant spike.

    If you are someone that is interested in digestive health then yes you'd want to wait sometime after eating protein. Like say fruit and meat, those do not mix well. The sugar in the fruit ferments in you stomach.

    Mixed macro meals? Aren’t most meals mixed macro? A meat, starch and vegetable, often cooked in some fat is a pretty standard dinner. I can’t think of many meals that aren’t mixed macro that I eat, at least not any intentionally...

    Do you have any studies showing that the dinner I had tonight with pasta, chicken, spinach, zucchini, Parmesan cheese, a touch of cream and some chicken broth would cause my blood pressure to spike? Significantly?

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,224 Member
    edited February 2018
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    billym2018 wrote: »
    I’d argue against that and in favor of cereal being in all around healthier choice for mornings or afternoons. What do you think pizza is? I’m not being funny here. Really think about it. You have meat, tomato sauce and bread that is most often not whole wheat. The carbs from the bread alone cause a big insulin spike because carbs convert to sugar. Yeah.. the thing you said was bad about cereal is actually in pizza. Sugar is a tricky beast that you must out smart. It’s in the tomato sauce too btw. Here’s what you can do. Adding cinnamon to cereal mimics insulin in the body and helps lower the odds of a spike from the sugar. I don't recommend sugary cereals but at least with cereal you have options. Ever eaten whole wheat pizza? Me either.

    Now the meat is a totally different avenue. If you eat meat for breakfast your body will need quite a few hours to digest that. Plan on eating soon after? That may not be a big concern to some but cereal has more flexibility. Chose bran cereals or whole wheat types for the fiber value. OVERALL. Cereal is the better choice to ensure you start and end your day right, fortifying your body with nutrients.

    You do realise cereal is almost exclusively carbs right?

    Wait, I missed the cinnamon nonsense. Well, almost all of it is nonsense but the cinnamon one is a new level of nonsense.

    Why do you assume carbs are bad? I live an active lifestyle and enjoy carbs because they burn off as energy. The only bad carbs are simple carbs. Eating healthy grain cereals are complex carbs. There isn’t a negative draw to slow released energy or carbs unless you don't use them.

    Explain to me why cinnamon being used to slow glucose absorption is nonsense?

    Why are simple carbs bad?

    Correction** simple carbs are bad if you are not being active. They are directly linked to visceral fat.

    Studies, please.


    Sure, check out this study done on whole grains vs refined grains. Complex carb vs simple carb.
    https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/92/5/1165/4597531

    First line:

    Background: Observational studies have linked higher intakes of whole grains to lower abdominal adiposity; however, the association between whole- and refined-grain intake and body fat compartments has yet to be reported.

    So did you only read the first line because that was to make a statement about what is currently known. Reading further shows the results of an experiment that links the two and is what is leading into new discovery on simple carbs.

    It concluded with correlation not causation, it was entirely self reported with the participants asked to answer questions based on their previous years consumption. It's not even close to determinative.