Pizza Diet: Staying Fit, Eating Your Share

There’s no need to avoid pizza when you’re on a weight loss diet or when you’re on a healthy diet, for that matter! In fact, you can stay fit even when eating your fair share of pizza, either from the box or from a buffet. The secret lies in rethinking pizza from a diet disaster to a nutrient opportunity, a strategy that can be successful by keeping these practical tips in mind.

Go Whole, Go Thin on the Crust

Many pizza restaurants now offer several crust options so choosing the healthier option becomes easier. Ask for a thin crust made from whole wheat grains, which many purists say is still the best anyway. The deep-dish and cheese-filled crusts may seem more decadent but these are loaded with unwanted calories so avoid them.

Choose the Vegetables, Skip the Meat

Fortunately, vegetarian pizzas are also available so you can skip on the meat just by ordering them. Many pizza restaurants, in fact, allow their diners to choose their own toppings so go ahead and load up on the vegetables. The best choices include tomatoes – pizza isn’t pizza without ripe red tomatoes – mushrooms, onions, artichokes, garlic, peppers, spinach, and broccoli.

But if you have a hankering for meat on your pizza, you can limit the meatballs, pepperoni, and sausage – or better yet, just skip them altogether. You can ask for chicken toppings instead. You may even ask for tweaks on the America’s Incredible Pizza catering prices, for example, when you want customized toppings on your pizzas. 

Consider the Cheese Options

Pizza without the cheese is just blasphemous that many would rather risk the added calories than eat a cheese-less pie! But you don’t have to go cheese-less since there are many healthier options, such Parmesan and ricotta, both of which have lower calorie content that mozzarella. Just be sure to limit the grated cheese to a tablespoon or so.

Watch Your Portions

Keep in mind that even when your pizza has healthy ingredients – more vegetables, less meat and cheese – doesn’t mean that you can eat the entire pie. You have to limit your portions according to your calorie consumption goal, such as just one slice for a 300-calorie count.  Your diet will likely be ruined when you indulge in two more slices of pizza, even when you work the excess calories out of your system with 15 minutes more on the treadmill.

Be careful about your choices in beverage, too. Soda, iced tea, beer and root beer all pack a caloric punch so stick with water, not to mention that it’s good fuel for your workout later.