What's The Real Deal with Pizza?

If you're anything like me, there isn't much that you won't eat. Pizza is one of those items that I have a more trying time passing up than others. I love pizza! But too often, I hear people say how bad pizza is for you. Well, I'm here to say that that paricular piece of information is innaccurate. You are now free to relax under a few conditions.

You really want to try and stay away from pizza with meat on it. At first, this was really hard for me to do. Especially since I could be qualified as a pure cheese worshipping carnivore. I'm the "Large Meatlovers" type. Anyway, I finally began getting used to having only fresh garlic and vegetables on my pizza and soon realized that I really don't want it any other way. Phew! One obsacle down!

The next issue to face is whether or not you'll be having one slice or two. If you're looking at a beautiful deep dish, grab your ONE piece and than run for your life! Actually, there are a few small things that you can do to help that habit of grabbing more than that one piece. For instance, when my fiance and I would get pizza (and we were being good; no one is perfect) we would get our slice (in his case, two slices... I know, it's not fair!) and immediately freeze the rest seperately. Doing this actually helps out with portioning in all aspects of your diet so try to make a habit of it all the way around (especially when it comes to pasta).

If after you have your one piece, you're still hungry, try filling up with some veggies or a salad. Actually, the real purpose for serving a salad with your meal is to fill in some of the empty spaces. This is why one should eat their salad last. Also, it helps your body get ALL of the necessary vitamins and nutrients as it digests. By having a salad before your meal, you hinder the digestive proccess which means you're not getting the full benefits from your food.

Usually, that one piece of pizza will suffice so long as you're not faced with staring at the box that still has that mouth watering pizza in it. Don't torture yourself!

Eat the pizza slow and really savor it. Now this is a habit that you need to develop. It doesn't just happen overnight, but when you get the hang of it, it's amazing how it works. We are so used to a busy life that we don't realize how good our food really is. However, I bet we would notice immediatley if it wasn't good though, right? That's because it got your attention by tasting gross. So try to pay attention on how good your food is. Also, try aviod eating while watching television. When we do that, our minds are pre-occupied so we're not aware of what's going on in our mouths.

Now, if you decide that you want two pieces, hopefully you're looking at a box of thin crust. A slice of thin crust pizza is anywhere from 200 to 250 calories. You can decrease this a bit. If you ask for low fat cheese, you're better off. You see, what most people don't realize is that it's not just the bread that you need to be aware of, but also the cheese. Most places will offer a low fat cheese and now a days, there are low fat and fat free cheeses that actually melt! If you find that there is no choice for low fat or no fat cheese, than just ask for light cheese.

The first couple of times that you do this, you may notice the difference (especially if you're a meat lover). But hopefully after a while, it will become a habit that you become used to and begin to enjoy.

My suggestion would be to begin this change slowly so that it's easier to get used to the transition. I know from experience how hard it is to make that "lifestyle change". But believe me when I tell you that you're body will thank you for a few different reasons. Those Tums will be less frequent because your stomach won't be as sour from the grease. Also, you'll find yourself in more of a guilt free position because you may just have room for a yummy low cal snack later. Oh yeah, and stay away from that cheese bread! Don't even look at it or you may turn to stone!

Good luck and enjoy!