Pizza... is it really THAT Bad?

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  • MeganSWoods
    MeganSWoods Posts: 196 Member
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    I am addicted to pizza, but I gave it up for Lent this year. I only let myself have it if I made it, so I made mini pizzas on light, whole-grain English muffins, light mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni, fresh tomatoes as "sauce", and fresh Parmesan grated on top -- they actually are really good and not bad for you!

    Since Lent is over, I do still have ordered pizza occasionally, but the mini pizzas really help when you're craving it. I agree that if you try to completely cut something out, it's just going to make you want it more and really cheat.
  • Kimmer2011
    Kimmer2011 Posts: 569 Member
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    I'm eating pizza right now! Very thin, homemade crust, mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, & less than 1/2 cup lowfat Italian cheese. If it's takeout, it's usually Domino's thin crust. I get spinach & red pepper on my half.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
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    Ever tried Meatza??

    =D
  • JaniceMaynard
    JaniceMaynard Posts: 8
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    I have eaten pizza several times in the past 6 months and MFP says that

    Domino's - Thin Crust - Grilled Chicken, 1/4 of pizza 330 30 18 14
  • stangma
    stangma Posts: 211 Member
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    @UltrarunnerGale - - That was excellent --- too much of a NOT so good thing.... LOL
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    I made pizza last night for dinner - on a whole wheat pizza base with pizza sauce, grilled chicken, onion, mushrooms, bbq sauce and cheese. THE ENTIRE THING was 500 calories. And I ate the whole thing. And I enjoyed it. It was the size of a large pizza here in AUS (which I would normally eat 7 of the 8 slices in one sitting) but I could have the whole thing for less cals than 3 slices of pizza-chain pizza. I probably didn't need the last two slices, because I was full, but I ate them anyway. Old habits die hard.
  • somigliana
    somigliana Posts: 314 Member
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    Love pizza.
    But these days I prefer making my own pizza at home because I find takeout too salty and oily for my new tastes :)
    I make my own wholewheat pizza crust, go heavy on the veggies and light on the cheese: volumewise I get a nice big serving for decent calories and sodium :)
  • Cytherea
    Cytherea Posts: 515 Member
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    I don't consider it a cheat, as long as you plan for it and have enough calories left for it!

    My husband loves pizza, and he can't give it up. And I would never force him to. We have pizza once every few weeks (which is a LOT less than we used to- it used to be at least once a week, if not more!), and I typically stick to a slice or two, unless I haven't eaten all day, lol. And I don't see anything wrong than that.

    Everything in moderation. You're not going to never eat pizza again, so don't deny yourself too much now... you need to learn how to work it (and other things) into your new lifestyle.
  • kaytedawg05
    kaytedawg05 Posts: 209
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    The best shape of my life, my diet was pizza & salad. Everyday. When I say best Shape, I'm talking lowest weight, best blood pressure, perfect cholesterol, very able to run & swim & weight train.... I was FIT. I got fat when pizza was less in my diet. So I feel pretty comfortable eating pizza. Outside pizza I eat a ton of veggies & fruit. Idc about anyones negative pizza opinion. :-) its my protein my calcium and what I enjoy most about food :-)
  • SueHerm
    SueHerm Posts: 25 Member
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    I make my own with whole wheat crust , lot of veggie toppings, and no cheese (which is where all the artery-cloging fat is, and a big chunk of the calories, too.) although you could just do light cheese. It's yummy and healthy. The kind that come from a big chain, yeah, it's definitely a "cheat meal". I wouldn't eat it on a dare.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    There's no difference in ingredients between pizza, lasagne and pasta with tomato sauce with cheese on top, all of which are pretty much staples in my children's diets. The problem with pizza is when you have American style, with a big fat deep fried crust. Real Italian pizza is fine in moderation. Obviously if you eat a whole one a night, that's a lot of calories, but there's nothing in it that's bad for you.
  • MDichoso
    MDichoso Posts: 10
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    I agree with some of the posts here that making your own pizza is the way to go. My family likes Meat Lover's Pizzas, I buy whole wheat pizza dough, and add turkey sausage crumbles (already cooked), turkey pepperoni, and canadian bacon, along with reduced fat mozzarella.

    Parties are tough--I feel your pain! But if I know I'm going to a party where I know it will be difficult to eat low fat and low calorie (i.e. they just don't have those choies), I will DEFINITELY exercise on that day (I favor the kettle bell workouts because they burn so many calories), and I will do my best to eat in moderation--this may mean eating healthy before you go so you aren't as hungry.

    HTH!
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
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    I agree with some of the posts here that making your own pizza is the way to go. My family likes Meat Lover's Pizzas, I buy whole wheat pizza dough, and add turkey sausage crumbles (already cooked), turkey pepperoni, and canadian bacon, along with reduced fat mozzarella.

    Parties are tough--I feel your pain! But if I know I'm going to a party where I know it will be difficult to eat low fat and low calorie (i.e. they just don't have those choies), I will DEFINITELY exercise on that day (I favor the kettle bell workouts because they burn so many calories), and I will do my best to eat in moderation--this may mean eating healthy before you go so you aren't as hungry.

    HTH!

    Kettlebell workouts also spike your metabolism for hours and hours...if not days. Sure you burn a lot of calories doing it...but the real benifits are FAR greater than that =D.
  • crystalinda
    crystalinda Posts: 151 Member
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    My husband owns a pizza store so I feel ya on this one! We don't eat pizza all that much considering he owns the place but when we do I have him make me a thin crust veggie. The thin crust cuts out a lot of calories. For example a thin crust cheese Little Caesars pizza slice (1/8 of a large) runs about 145 calories, so you if you have two slices that's under 300 calories - not bad if you ask me.

    We are making our own flatbread pizza's tonight for dinner. using whole wheat flatbread, here's the recipe I got from fitness magazine:

    Ingredients
    2 whole-grain flatbreads
    1/2 cup pizza sauce (safeway select brand is only 30 calories per serving)
    2 tbsp dried oregano
    1 cup baby spinach
    1/4 cup goat cheese
    2 tbsp pine nuts

    Directions
    Make it: Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake flatbread for 7 minutes. Spread pizza sauce on flatbread and top with oregano, spinach, goat cheese and pine nuts. Bake an additional 12 to 15 minutes.

    I ommitted the pine nuts (to cut fat) and added a few tomato slices. It was really tasty!
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
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    I might get yelled at for this answer.... but I don't think pizza itself is bad... I think its the ingredients used.

    I like pizza.. but sodium is my devil. Because of this, I make my own. I make my own crust, use no salt added tomatoe sauce, then add all sorts of good stuff on it. Mushrooms, chicken breast, pineapple, onions, peppers, etc. Really, I don't think it can be that bad considering it contains all your basic food groups. I think its just a matter of being consious of what is going in it and on it.
  • dleithaus
    dleithaus Posts: 107 Member
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    Kashi makes a pizza that is about 750 calories for the whole pie. Thin crust, moderate cheese content, good veggies. Add some red pepper flakes and you are set. http://www.kashi.com/products/category/Pizza

    With that, I find it hard to buy pizza because I want to eat at least half of a normal pie, and that portion can be well over 1000 calories for just about any pie you buy... I used to eat a lot more pizza, and now it is a very occasional indulgence.
  • crystalinda
    crystalinda Posts: 151 Member
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    I might get yelled at for this answer.... but I don't think pizza itself is bad... I think its the ingredients used.

    I like pizza.. but sodium is my devil. Because of this, I make my own. I make my own crust, use no salt added tomatoe sauce, then add all sorts of good stuff on it. Mushrooms, chicken breast, pineapple, onions, peppers, etc. Really, I don't think it can be that bad considering it contains all your basic food groups. I think its just a matter of being consious of what is going in it and on it.

    My husband who owns a pizza shop tries to tell me the same thing, and yes you are correct to a certain extent, ultimately, it is what you put on it that makes the difference between good & evil. Commercially sold pizzas are usually high in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Like most foods if you take the time to make it at home from the least processed ingredients available rather than buying it from a restaurant you can acheive a better, healthier, and even tastier result.

    However, if you are going to choose convenience try thin crust pizzas, try the meatless options, and add veggies.
  • dino_morgan
    dino_morgan Posts: 57 Member
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    Make your own pizza! It's fun, way lower in calories, fat, cholesterol, etc. Plus, you can put whatever toppings you want without paying the extra $0.75 for each one. I usually put a lot of vegetables and some low fat cheese. No need to be afraid of pizza, just watch what kind of pizza it is that you eat!
  • RattieLove
    RattieLove Posts: 125
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    WOW! :D Sorrysorry for such a late reply guys, I just read through all of those helpful replies. Phew, thanks so much :D I feel a lot better about pizza now XD I'll just be sure to watch what I get on it. Thin crust veggie does sound good.
    Thanks again!

    Mae :)

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