Pizza: not THAT unhealthy?

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Replies

  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
    I had 1 little slice of a 10" cheese pizza and it was 131 Kcal. I couldn't even imagine what a slice off a Large meat pizza would be. Sorry, I didn't read this thread first. I KNEW better than posting on this message board.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    I think the issue with pizza is the tendency to over indulge.

    for the most part, there's no "bad" food to me. i'm choosy about who i may buy it from, but you can always eat the "bad" foods in moderation once you learn how, unless your diet is super strict.
  • mogletdeluxe
    mogletdeluxe Posts: 623 Member
    A pizza and a beer is my Friday treat after my zumba and circuits classes - I LOVE it. Ticks a lot of craving boxes - salty, cheesy, crispy, chewy. I curl up on the sofa, plate on my knee, and tuck in.

    It tends to be a supermarket effort - I'm not a huge fan of takeaway ones as, like others have said before me, the temptation's there to polish the whole blimmin' thing off and they're massive. I reckon I'd give it a good go...so it tends to be a smaller frozen one. Nutritionally sound? Eeeh, could be better. Excellent way to end a Friday? Damn straight!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    So not to stoke the fire of a really pointless argument, but by that your saying that i cant make the general assumption (label) that doner kebabs, or burgers are unhealthy.
    yes there are going to be exceptions to this rule, as there are with pizza, and serving size is definately a big issue (exactly the point being made!) but by definition and origination, they are not designed as health food! they are indulgent fast foods and therefore UNHEALTHY
    What's unhealthy about a burger? And no, pizza was not originally designed as indulgent. It was designed as street food for poor people who couldn't afford anything else to eat besides bread and sauce.
  • PinkHurricane88
    PinkHurricane88 Posts: 156 Member
    There are some pizzas that are healthier than others, especially when you considered the thickness of the crust. Also some people just can't stop at one or two slices and end up having half of the pizza or more. There are a lot of factors but you can certainly have pizza sometimes, just be sure to get the nutritional information so you know for sure what you are eating.

    Also I love making my own pizza, thin crust with grilled chicken, cheese, and usually a good bit of veggies. I also don't like red sauce so I substitute with light ranch or light alfredo, sometimes buffalo sauce too!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    So not to stoke the fire of a really pointless argument, but by that your saying that i cant make the general assumption (label) that doner kebabs, or burgers are unhealthy.
    yes there are going to be exceptions to this rule, as there are with pizza, and serving size is definately a big issue (exactly the point being made!) but by definition and origination, they are not designed as health food! they are indulgent fast foods and therefore UNHEALTHY

    I disagree with the above premise.

    The issue here is that an individual food item is not inherntly lipogenic or lipolytic by itself. You can only assess an individual food item as far as it's contribution to the entire diet.

    Looking at an individual food item in a vacuum without this context tells you very little.
  • yowza101
    yowza101 Posts: 196 Member
    All depends on what kind of pizza you get and where you get it from. Look at the calories for Pizza Hut....
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Define what you mean by unhealthy?

    something like 28% fat.

    What's your daily fat% goal? How different is that from the percentage in pizza?
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I just stopped in to say that I love pizza.
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    Bacon?
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    In the UK the pizza express small pizzas they sell in supermarkets are about 580 calories which isnt bad for a whole pizza!!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    So not to stoke the fire of a really pointless argument, but by that your saying that i cant make the general assumption (label) that doner kebabs, or burgers are unhealthy.
    yes there are going to be exceptions to this rule, as there are with pizza, and serving size is definately a big issue (exactly the point being made!) but by definition and origination, they are not designed as health food! they are indulgent fast foods and therefore UNHEALTHY

    Is this based on some moral code that indulgence is bad?
    I indulge in sports that I like and am indulgent in lots of activities that benefit me - reading, travel, sex, etc. Morally questionable?

    The issue is volume - not the food type. A ton of carrots will kill you as surely as a ton of pizza.

    Pizza is likely not going to be in my list of foods often, simply because for me, I prefer to lots of other things. But I suggest that you look at nutritional value vs calories within a overall diet and pizza, chocolate, burgers and ice cream can all fit in nicely.
  • TheViperMan
    TheViperMan Posts: 235 Member
    As I've been making my own pizzas at home (spinning the dough and all!) I thought I'd "weigh in" here...

    There are basically two elements of pizza that will affect your weight-loss efforts: the crust, and the cheese. LUCKILY low-fat mozzarella cheese has less calories-per-serving than cheddar, and parmesan cheese has even less. So if you just go a little light, you'll probably find it rather easy to stay within your ranges. As far as the crust goes, I started making mini-homemade pizzas for lunch with a lightly-toasted tortilla shell. It makes a phenomenal "thin-crust" pizza, topped with a serving-size of Del Grosso sauce, deli-pepperoni (less salt than the Hormel bagged kind) mushrooms, black olives, onions, mild pepper rings, some italian seasoning, and cheese. You can also fold them in half as it's toasting and make what we call a Pizza Quesadilla!

    I've also added "Generic - Bread Flour" to the food database at MFP in case people want to make their own crusts. Pizza dough usually consists of bread flour (approx 3 cups), olive oil (approx 2 tbls), a dash of salt, yeast, and water. You also have to use a sugar of some kind to activate the yeast - I prefer Honey or Brown Sugar for their hygroscopic characteristic - the ability to absorb moisture from the atmosphere (keeps crusts soft and moist!) But a majority of the sugar is actually consumed by the yeast, so your overall impact to calories is minimal.

    My pizza quesadilla - before vegetables - comes in at 395 calories. We all know that veggies don't have much caloric content, so add as many as you want! Plus, you can make one in 10 minutes, and that INCLUDES rummaging through the 'fridge for all your ingredients! :)

    Enjoy!
  • Cougarita65
    Cougarita65 Posts: 240 Member
    Pizza is the best food in the world, especially from Luigis ....end of story...lol
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    they are not designed as health food! they are indulgent fast foods and therefore UNHEALTHY

    That makes absolutely no sense.
  • eliz_in_pink
    eliz_in_pink Posts: 278 Member
    I love love love pizza, and eat it probably once a week.

    It makes my heart happy.

    And this tread.. just made me crave pizza! LOL!
    Mmmm...Buffalo Chicken pizza from Papa Johns!
  • andream1976
    andream1976 Posts: 77 Member
    I know, I was kind of shocked to see that, as well. I think the main things about pizza that make us believe it's so unhealthy is that we usually can't eat it in moderation or that we order it from a restaurant and assume it's made with the worst quality, unhealthiest ingredients. Both could be true, but really, I've found that if you can limit it to 2 average sized slices then you usually aren't doing too bad, even if you order it from takeout. Making it at home, pizza can be very healthy and low calorie, and you have so many options. From traditional pizza crust to bagels, muffins, tortilla, even califlower crusts and toppings, even cheese and meat toppings can be fine as long as you don't overdo it. I say go for the pizza! Enjoy it!
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    LOVE pizza....but I will eat half a pizza (or more) if we order from Papa John's or etc. So the healthiest option for me is to make my own...with thin crust, less cheese, and more veggies.
  • 256Sept12
    256Sept12 Posts: 41
    1 slice of pizza isn't that bad, like you said.

    But who can only eat one slice and be satisfied?

    I don't eat pizza because there is NO way I will stop after one slice.

    (when i want pizza, i make mini english muffin pizzas...u can eat a lot for little calorie)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    LOVE pizza....but I will eat half a pizza (or more) if we order from Papa John's or etc. So the healthiest option for me is to make my own...with thin crust, less cheese, and more veggies.

    Only half? Lightweight! :wink:

    That is my problem with pizza. I have NO control. It doesn't fill me up quickly and it tastes SO GOOD, so I will eat and eat and eat until it's gone.

    One slice, two, or even three might be OK. But the whole pizza? Yeah ... not so much.
  • bbriscoe13
    bbriscoe13 Posts: 175 Member
    I have a problem with one slice not filling me up. I would much rather eat a whole LOT of something with less calories than 3 slices of pizza (because that is what I would end up eating) haha. I make my own with cauliflower crust...or thin crust. It is yummy and I get more of it!
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    I never eat pizza thniking i will only have one slice. it is 3 or nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Shrinking_Moody
    Shrinking_Moody Posts: 270 Member
    Yes it's healthy if the crust is whole wheat and topped with good quality cheese and veggies. For me home made pizza is always a win win.


    This - we've started making our own pizzas too and I love the whole wheat crust and being in control of the quantity/quality of the toppings I use - and it's fun too :happy:
  • TheSink
    TheSink Posts: 97 Member
    Cheese is not bad.
    Salt is not bad in moderation.
    This isn't madness you are suffering from Cognitive Dissonance.

    My point is, stop labeling arbitrarily that pizza is bad for you.

    Pizza in extreme excess, is probably not good for you.

    Pizza by itself, isn't unhealthy.

    Like 7 snarky posts to get to this one. Thanks for all your "input".
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
    I make homemade pizza all the time. If your food fits your macros, it doesn't matter what it is. That's how I've been living and I've lost almost 40 pounds so far.
  • AngryDiet
    AngryDiet Posts: 1,349 Member
    Pizza isn't that bad, I agree. The problem is that it's not filling given the calories. I often find myself hungry and out of calories later that night. But as an indulgence, it's hard to beat.
  • Elise1324
    Elise1324 Posts: 38
    personally it's not the carbs, cal or fat that get me on pizza it's the sodium. Yesterday I was running around a lot and didn't get to eat much during the day and we ended up ordering pizza because I was too tired to cook had 3 pieces ( I was really hungry by then) and it killed my sodium intake for the day 2428g. I slapped myself in the forehead for that one. cuz I new that before I eat it and did it anyway. figured I would just do two walks today, but I'm praying I get through all 92 mins of it because the space at the back on my knee is yelling at me when I straighten it.
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
    There's nothing unhealthy about pizza in moderation. Fat isn't evil. It is a necessary macronutrient. Man, you people are dumb.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    I agree about the "awesome runs" the next day. I've had pizza and run and biked like nothing the next day; kinda like the "spaghetti dinners" of track & field days.

    Pizza's amazing. It's generally only an issue if you're low carb, because even thin crusts pack a carb punch, and sodium. Yeah, if you drink water and watch your salt usually, you can be fine--but pizza still has lots of sodium, especially frozen.

    EDIT: I see fat was the argument here? Really? People still think fat is the ultimate evil culprit?
  • AngryDiet
    AngryDiet Posts: 1,349 Member
    Man, you people are dumb.

    Preach it!

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