Healthy Foods at a Pizza Place??

Vain_Witch
Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My daughter has been BEGGING me to take her out for pizza, but I keep saying no because I don't know what the healthy options there are. Can anyone tell me if there's ANYTHING healthy you can order at a pizza place?

Please don't say salad...in my experience the salads at a pizza place are either ridiculously small, unsatisfying and overpriced or ridiculously NOT healthy...
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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Forgive me for pointing this out, but pizza *is* healthy.
  • Kamnikar64
    Kamnikar64 Posts: 345 Member
    I would order a thin crust with veggies and not worry about it. At most on a large pizza your slice would be 280 calories. Have a slice or two and lots of water to help flush out the sodium and enjoy.
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Get a good few healthy servings of everyone's favourite vegetable.

    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/17/pizza-as-vegetable-congress-proposes-new-school-lunch-bill/
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Forgive me for pointing this out, but pizza *is* healthy.

    Forgive me for asking...but how is pizza healthy? Grease, carbs, cheese...not to mention any toppings you get...I'm not saying it's the WORST thing you could eat, but I can't see it necessarily being considered a healthy choice either...
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    I would order a thin crust with veggies and not worry about it. At most on a large pizza your slice would be 280 calories. Have a slice or two and lots of water to help flush out the sodium and enjoy.

    The water would definitely be a must! Sodium is like my arch nemesis! lol
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    Get a good few healthy servings of everyone's favourite vegetable.

    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/17/pizza-as-vegetable-congress-proposes-new-school-lunch-bill/

    Wow! And they wonder why we're such a fat nation! :-\
  • Lconsla
    Lconsla Posts: 226 Member
    As long as you fit it into your calorie goal, eat what you want! A little Caesars baby pan pan has 360 calories for the whole pizza. I have this every monday night. It's not about giving up favorite foods, it's about moderation.
  • madvisions68
    madvisions68 Posts: 2 Member
    Just know what kind you want and put it in the calorie counter,! I have to say I love pizza also I went and brought some flatout flat bread, with a low calorie pizza sauce, chopped up grill chicken breast, w/ about a ounce of mozerella, it was very good, just an idea!!!!!!!!!:smile: Moderation is right
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
    Everything is good in moderation. Get a veggie one! Those are the bomb-diggity.

    Just eat 2 slices instead of 12, and skip the greasy garlic bread.

    Make sure that the day you go, you allot some calories for it. That's all...nothing fancy to it!
  • porkchop_13
    porkchop_13 Posts: 122
    salad, you told me not to so i couldnt help myself
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    Find a way to work it in, what's wrong with having pizza. It can cover the major food groups in one go, Vegetables(fruits if you count tomatoes), Dairy, Grain, Meat and Fats & Oils. Also depending on the size of the pizza and type of crust (as well as if it is deep dish) you could probably have two slices and some veggies on the side and be totally fine.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Plain pizza, light on the cheese.
    Its all about portion control.

    I used to eat 4 slices, now I eat 3, sometimes 2.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
    Skip the hand tossed. Go for a thin crust, ask for easy on the cheese, and get veggie. Or order more veggies, less meats.
  • janet0513
    janet0513 Posts: 564 Member
    My pizza place has great salads. All are big. My favorite is grilled chicken Kabob. If the salads are small then mabe one slice of veggie and a side salad (Ya I know you said not salad)

    Check their menu first and have a plan before you go. Thin crust is better.
  • For_the_Last_Time
    For_the_Last_Time Posts: 136 Member
    Depending on the type of pizza place most locally owned places will be able to make it to your specifications. I used to work for a locally owned one and would go as far as weighing out cheese for customers so they would know exactly what they were getting.

    Extra thin crust, chicken, spinach, mushrooms and light cheese is one of my favorites.

    Call ahead and see if it is something they would do?
  • meganbook
    meganbook Posts: 71
    I used to work at a pizza hut, and there was a healthier option with our thin crust, extra sauce, light on the cheese, and veggies! Honestly, pizza is not the worse thing for you. I'm sure if you went this option, 2 slices won't even get you over 500 calories. It's the thick crust/extra cheese/meat lovers route that gets you in trouble! Enjoy your pizza :-)
  • cowgirlashlee
    cowgirlashlee Posts: 301 Member
    Thin crust Hawaiian with no bacon (pizza hut uses bacon...but keep the ham and pineapple) and bbq sauce instead of marinara. An 8-inch Hawaiian at my local Pizza King (not sure what your restaurant is) is just under 600 calories.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Forgive me for pointing this out, but pizza *is* healthy.

    Forgive me for asking...but how is pizza healthy? Grease, carbs, cheese...not to mention any toppings you get...I'm not saying it's the WORST thing you could eat, but I can't see it necessarily being considered a healthy choice either...

    carbs are not the devil...neither is fat...eating too much of anything will have a negative impact, even if it's a "health" food. Cheese is an excellent source of protein. The trick is to just stick to a serving, or whatever fits into your calorie goal. One can easily have pizza and meet their calorie and macro goals. If you want a little lighter on the calories, go for a thinner crust, less cheese and more veg.

    Also, maybe consider a better pizza joint. Places like il vicino make rockin' pizza and you can get a small or have a few slices and be under 500 calories. A lot of local pizza shops make far healthier pizzas than the big chains as well.
  • pink_ribbon_1
    pink_ribbon_1 Posts: 46 Member
    They might have salads. Could you get a big salad with grilled chicken?
  • ki4yxo
    ki4yxo Posts: 709 Member
    Look at Papa Murphy's deLITE pizzas.

    http://www.papamurphys.com/pdf/Nutrition_Info.pdf


    :bigsmile:
  • pink_ribbon_1
    pink_ribbon_1 Posts: 46 Member
    They might have salads. Could you get a big salad with grilled chicken?

    SORRY I just re-read your post about no salad suggestions! Sorry!

    Go thin crust, with veggies - or do a wrap sandwich perhaps.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    My daughter has been BEGGING me to take her out for pizza, but I keep saying no because I don't know what the healthy options there are. Can anyone tell me if there's ANYTHING healthy you can order at a pizza place?

    Please don't say salad...in my experience the salads at a pizza place are either ridiculously small, unsatisfying and overpriced or ridiculously NOT healthy...

    Sounds borderline orthorexic, please don't' let your diet control you and keep you from eating out or social situations. 1 day of eating won't make you gain a ton of fat or derail you from your diet, just eat what you want and get on track the next day. Unless you're talking about chuck e cheese, then i'd eat beforehand
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    Go to a place with a salad bar and pile up the fresh veggies, skip the pasta salad, watch the portion of dressing.
    Try veggie pizza with no cheese, it's actually quite good.
    Make homemade pizza with the kids, let each person pick their toppings.
  • bachooka
    bachooka Posts: 719 Member
    Pizza is not the worst thing in the world to eat. A thin crust with chicken and veggies and light cheese and some sauce... good stuff.

    If you really don't want to go out, and option I make at home that my kids LOVE is the pizza bar. I set up the table with cheese, veggies (the most popular is asparagus), some seasonings, and some turkey pepperoni. Each person gets a pita and they can put what they want on it. Maybe do this for your daughter and let her have some friends over. You'll be the coolest mom ever, and they still feel like they are getting their junk food on.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Pizza is a pretty solid choice at a pizza place. That's how I roll when I go to one
  • nczuczu
    nczuczu Posts: 611 Member
    These sound like really good options. I would probably add a side salad just to give me something else to fill up on. Enjoy!!
  • peachfigs
    peachfigs Posts: 831 Member
    You can order a small, thin base pizza without the cheese and just have your veggies and protein on it, and then watch your weekly calorie intake to make up for it :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I would order a thin crust with veggies and not worry about it. At most on a large pizza your slice would be 280 calories. Have a slice or two and lots of water to help flush out the sodium and enjoy.

    This ^^ Generally, thin crust veggie pizzas aren't too bad from a nutritional or calorie standpoint.
  • Songtothesiren
    Songtothesiren Posts: 388 Member
    Enjoy salad (no dressing), enjoy pizza (thin crust and tell em - no cheese). If you've got a pizza express check out their 500 cal leggeria pizza it is yummy. Look the thing is, quality time with your daughter is as important as you sticking to your diet. We all have to find that diet/life balance and the last thing any of us girls want to do is create a conflict relationship with food in our daughters. I understand you are conflicted about trying to be a sensible eater and the terror that is the pizza place, but you can and you will manage to get it right.

    Personally I check out menus on line, or by previsiting the place, I cope better if I've had time to consider my best options and then make an informed choice.

    Finally, if it all goes wild when the dessert menu is offered - then I still enter my calories and balance them off with a workout and a sensible reduction in calories the next day.

    Have fun, have a giggle and please, don't beat yourself up about this. Once in a while is good for you. As Julia Childs said, moderation in everything, including moderation.

    I trust this helps.
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
    My daughter has been BEGGING me to take her out for pizza, but I keep saying no because I don't know what the healthy options there are. Can anyone tell me if there's ANYTHING healthy you can order at a pizza place?

    Please don't say salad...in my experience the salads at a pizza place are either ridiculously small, unsatisfying and overpriced or ridiculously NOT healthy...

    Sounds borderline orthorexic, please don't' let your diet control you and keep you from eating out or social situations. 1 day of eating won't make you gain a ton of fat or derail you from your diet, just eat what you want and get on track the next day. Unless you're talking about chuck e cheese, then i'd eat beforehand

    I just learned a new word! Cool! lol Honestly, I think my doctor is turning me in that direction....they're so strict about what I can and can't eat that it's all I think about anymore!

    That being said, I think I'll probably go for the slice and a small salad...luckily I usually only get mushrooms on my pizza anyway...

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