Best pizza when eating out?

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Shanormski
Shanormski Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, I'm going out for pizza tomorrow to a traditional Italian restaurant and really don't know what the best choice to make would be. I'm not a big lover of pasta so it has to be pizza, as it's a family run restaurant I can't get any nutritional info. So any suggestions on the best choice I can make would be helpful. I don't intend to eat all of it and I do have one treat meal per week but this is freaking me out as I've been so good this week and don't want to blow the days allowance on one meal if possible. Thanks.

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  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Get the thinnest crust available if there are varying levels of thickness.

    "White" pizzas are generally bad news, as they include alfredo-type sauces.

    Stick to lots of veggies as toppings. If you must have, or really want a meat, canadian bacon or any grilled chicken are the best way to go. Pepperoni and sausage are VERY high fat and calorie.

    I usually wrap up my pizza eating at two slices of any delivery pizza, so definitely save some for later.
  • iamdesiderata
    iamdesiderata Posts: 95 Member
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    Italian restaurants also have fish, i usually order grilled salmon over a bed of spinach with oil and vinegar on the side for dressing, but if you're looking for a pizza to eat, get a personal sized, thin crust, with lots of vegetables to top it.
  • ashley_h10
    ashley_h10 Posts: 110 Member
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    hey, i would stick to just a cheese pizza, or something with veggies...you can get chicken or something like that but pepperoni and ham is very bad (sodium and fat) Thats what i would do
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    Pizza is hard. Getting veggies on it is a better idea than getting meat. I usually allow myself a splurge and get sausage and green pepper. See if they can go easy on the cheese for you and the best option (assuming you don't want pizza but want to eat with everyone) would be to get a salad. Any pizza place will have salads available. Maybe grilled chicken salad so you get the protein?
  • drew77
    drew77 Posts: 9
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    thin crust- veggies!
  • Melanie1967
    Melanie1967 Posts: 238 Member
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    I don't know of any "best" pizza for eating out. But, if you are going to for a treat, you could always go with light cheese and veggies only. Sodium is a big player in my loosing weight. We make our pizza's at home. After reading the ingredients on stuff, pepperoni and cheese are both loaded in sodium. Enjoy!
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I agree with the veggies. If you're going to be eating pizza, you might as well get a serving of veggies in with it. Something like a broccoli and grilled chicken if they have it? Or just the plain old veggie pizza. When I'm stuck with Papa Johns (sometimes my lunch meetings order it), I go for 2 slices of veggie and pick the smallest slices in the pizza. That way i feel like I'm eating 2 slices, but they are less calories.
  • rhymeofanothersummer
    rhymeofanothersummer Posts: 11
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    Choose a thin crust veggie pizza over cheese or one with meats. A lot of times even just cheese will be worse for you since there is a greater surface area for the pizza makers to cover, thus they add more cheese (and thus more cals/fat/etc). With lots of veggies, less cheese is needed to cover the pizza, but its still just as tasty in my opinion:)
  • bkthomas2004
    bkthomas2004 Posts: 130 Member
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    Marinara is better than white like a poster said above me. Also thin crust, veggie or chicken pizza vs the 'meaty' kind. Salads are ALWAYS an options well.
  • ka_42
    ka_42 Posts: 720 Member
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    I always get thin cheese and mushroom only.. Keep it simple! I agree with the others... Think veggies!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Choose a thin crust veggie pizza over cheese or one with meats. A lot of times even just cheese will be worse for you since there is a greater surface area for the pizza makers to cover, thus they add more cheese (and thus more cals/fat/etc). With lots of veggies, less cheese is needed to cover the pizza, but its still just as tasty in my opinion:)

    I've noticed this on the dominos calculator. If you order a meat on it, adding a ton of veggies along, lowers how many calories are pulled in by the meat because the more veggies cover the top, the less meat they put on. Makes sense.

    (Pizza is, unfortunately, a favorite food of both myself and hubby, cutting it out entirely would be a disaster, so I've gotten pretty good at making it as okay as possible.)
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    Margharita pizza is usually a good bet if it is a traditional italian place - usually a super thin crust, real mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and basil. Delicious!
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I agree with the other members. Thin crust, preferable wheat, instead of white flour, low in cheese, tomatoes or marinada, and vegetables. If you have a salad first (no crutons and dressing on the side) then you will not be that hungry.
  • Shanormski
    Shanormski Posts: 7
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    Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions, very much appreciated. I'm not a big pizza eater but I do get a craving for one now and then! I could make this a lot easier and have salad or fish but I know everyone wil be having several courses of lovely calorific food so I decided I'd feel better if I had something a bit naughty too!

    Veggies and or Chicken sounds like a plan so I'l make sure its loaded to cut down on the cheese and only eat part of it, hopefully if I continue my habit of burning around 700 in exercise I wont feel like I've ruined my week too much!
  • rose1617
    rose1617 Posts: 469 Member
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    I agree with the other members. Thin crust, preferable wheat, instead of white flour, low in cheese, tomatoes or marinada, and vegetables. If you have a salad first (no crutons and dressing on the side) then you will not be that hungry.
    I would normally agree with this but please be careful with salads at family-owned Italian restaurants. They are packed with more calories than the pasta or pizza and more sodium as well. I had to learn that lesson the hard way when we went out the other night.
    I agree with most of what the others have said, however if you don't like veggie pizzas like me, I'd suggest ordering canadian bacon & pineapple. Ask them for easy sauce and easy cheese.

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