Pizza is delicious. I know, that’s not a very controversial statement. Heck, even bad pizza is pretty damn good compared to other foods . . . the cheese and toppings can often overcome the bad taste of crust and sauce made with cheap ingredients. But great pizza made with fresh ingredients and care can be amazing. Think of an authentic Napolitan pizza, a thin New York slice or thick Chicago-style pizza. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Not a healthy option
Yet pizza presents a real dilemma . . . this isn’t something you should be eating often. Even great pizza is loaded with carbs, and the mediocre and bad pizzas usually have sugar added to the dough and sauce. It doesn’t help that pizza goes great with a cold beer or a Coke. If you eat this stuff regularly you’re probably going to gain weight and impact your health in a negative way over time.
But cutting back on pizza is easier said than done. Let’s face it, pizza is everywhere. It’s always a quick phone call or click on an app away. It’s so damn convenient and easy to get. And that’s where the bad habits come into play. We can all be lazy when it comes to food. Eating healthy in particular can be a challenge with our busy schedules. This is hard enough if you’re a bachelor, but if you’re married with kids you often find that “pizza night” can become ingrained in your habits.
Guilty pleasure
The key is to pick your spots and make pizza a guilty pleasure that you enjoy from time to time. Don’t let it become a regular habit.
Start with upping your pizza game. Stop eating the garbage pizza served up by most pizza chains. That stuff is garbage. It’s not good for you, it’s loaded with sugar and carbs, and frankly it doesn’t taste good.
Find some really good pizza joints in your area and limit your pizza consumption to the good stuff. Yes, you’ll pay more, but it will be worth it, and you won’t be ordering pizza regularly to take advantage of easy, cheap options.
By eating great pizza, you’ll start to appreciate how bad most pizzas taste. I recently ordered from two well-known national chains and could believe how bad the pizza tasted. The crust was bland, and you could taste the sugar. The sauce was terrible and I could tell that the cheese was processed.
Limiting yourself to only the best pizza places can also help your social life. If you’re single, women appreciate when you’re taking them to get great food, and knowing the best pizza joints is a real plus. Also, your family and friends will appreciate it when you serve the good stuff or show up with some pizza pies from one of the best spots in town.
Eliminate the pizza habit
If you eat pizza often, find a way to change that habit. Find appropriate substitutes, like better pizza on some occasions and other healthy but tasty options as well. Of course, there will be times when you’re at a party where pizza is served. Enjoy it! The goal here isn’t to deprive yourself, but rather to adjust your daily habits so that you control what you eat over the long haul. Toss the numbers of those weak pizza chains. Remove the apps from your phone. Your taste buds, and your gut, will thank you . . .
Good luck!
