Pizza

Pizza

Pizza The Perfect Food?

Pizza is the hottest selling fast food today. Many people feel it is the perfect food, containing high carbohydrates, protein, occasionally vegetables, and cheese. What many people fail to realize is that commercially available pizzas are very high in fat. The table below lists the fat content in two slices of pizza. That is not even close to the normal amount of pizza eaten by an active teenager. The most noticeable increases in fat content occur when deep dish styles are ordered. This tells us that there is quite a bit of added fat in the crust.

Restaurant	Calories	Fat	Fat	Sodium
	2 Slices	Calories	Percent	(mg)
Domino's
Cheese	345	95	27.5%	981
Pepperoni	407	152	37.3%	1179
Veggie	360	104	28.9%	1028
Deep Dish Cheese	560	238	42.5%	1184
Deep Dish Pepperoni	622	294	47.3%	1383
Deep Dish Veggie	576	247	42.9%	1233
Little Caesars
Cheese	402	139	34.6%	562
Pepperoni	440	173	39.3%	716
Pan Pan Cheese	362	123	34.0%	758
Pan Pan Pepperoni	398	155	38.9%	904
Pizza Hut
Cheese	506	180	35.6%	1186
Pepperoni	506	200	39.5%	1476
Veggie Lovers	444	140	31.5%	1282
Pan Cheese	558	260	46.6%	946
Pan Pepperoni	560	360	64.3%	1236
Pan Veggie Lovers	498	300	60.2%	1042

Instead of ordering out for pizza, try making your own. Choose ready-made crusts which are low in fat., reduced fat cheese and lean cuts of meats if desired. Also, go heavy on the vegetables; they provide good nutrition and their flavors leach out into the crust to add to its flavor.

Keep in mind that a "normal" daily calorie intake breaks down as follows:

10 - 20% Calories from Fat

20 - 30% Calories from Protein

55 - 65% Calories from Carbohydrate

These figures represent a range of calories, if you are an active athlete, the calories from carbohydrates should be higher to account for greater energy demands.

Information on this site is not a substitute for physician directed care.

Please consult your personal physician for more detailed information

concerning specific injuries or illnesses.

Last Update for AthleticAdvisor.com: 10/24/2009 12:09:35 AM