Pizza and Health

Pizza and Health

One of the most popular dishes in the world, Pizza has found itself in the middle of conversations about advantages and disadvantages of its utilization. Today’s life is rushing hour so there is nothing better than getting a ready meal. Notwithstanding how much the chef’s praise the benefits of fresh food, towards the end of a hard-working day, even as one returns home all tired and hungry, a pizza or a burger can be bonus, that is food prepared and served quickly is termed as 'fast food'. Such type of food suits perfectly into the fast paced life of a working individual however scientists tested the impact long term effects of pizza on the metabolism. Pizza can actually be very dietary meal that can provide plenty nourishment to our body and metabolism.

The most evident advantage of fast food is that it saves time. In today's fast-paced life, in addition the time an individual has to spend in the kitchen, cooking a meal also requires one to make a trip to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for the dish. Then there is the added effort and time consumed in washing and peeling the vegetables. All this makes eating fast food score more preferably over cooking a meal for a busy individual. Besides time, cost saving gives fast food an edge over the meal prepared in the kitchen. If one lives alone, then it is cheaper to buy a meal at the supermarket instead of cooking it at home. Also certain fast foods like fries and burgers come pretty cheap.

Fast food does raise health concerns. However, if careful, you can find some options on the menu of a fast food restaurant that could be healthier. Salads are a smart choice. Go for bread products that are made from wheat bread. Select for lean meat. If you could choose between the fried and boiled options, order the boiled preparation. Avoid ordering carbonic drinks when you are thirsty. Go for fruit juices, low-fat milk, and diet soda. Is there anything better than plain water to quench your thirst? These days, nutrition information of the food served (and ingredients used) is displayed in the menu card. You could always resort to the 'make to order' option that certain fast food outlets offer, where you could restrict the use of ingredients that are not healthy. As dessert does not play an important role in the fast food meal menu, you can keep yourself away from delicious and tempting sugary dishes.

If you don't put veggies on your pizza, maybe it's time to start. Onions are rich in sulfur compounds and flavonoids which help to maintain a healthy immune system and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Onions have also been shown to promote a healthy heart. Other veggies that can add antioxidant and nutritional punch to pizza are artichokes, spinach, red peppers, broccoli, and even slices of steamed squash. A veggie filled slice of pizza is a tasty way to get your daily vegetable quota.

That layer of cheese that makes your pizza slice rich and gooey is a good source of bone building calcium. Some studies have also shown that a high calcium diet can help to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Despite these benefits, cheese is also high in fat, so cut the cheese in half and double up on the tomato sauce for a healthier slice of pizza.

Even pizza crust can be healthy if made from whole grains. Before you make your next homemade pizza, search the internet for a recipe for whole grain pizza crust and you'll be adding fiber to every delicious bite you take.

With a few minor changes, you can enjoy the great taste of a hot slice of pizza without even a twinge of guilt.Negative health issues can come if pizza is made with no regard for its end quality (poor quality ingredients, bad recipes, etc). Frozen pizzas and ones created in large pizza chains have in the past been criticized for their amounts high salt, fat and calories. One of the largest pizza chains on earth Pizza Hut in one period of time sold food that enclosed more than twice the daily recommended amount of salt for an adult.

Advantages of Fast Food


Besides time, cost saving gives fast food an edge over the meal prepared in the kitchen. If one lives alone, in that case it is cheaper to buy a meal at the supermarket instead of cooking it at home. Also certain fast foods like fries and burgers come pretty cheap.

Fast food does increase health concerns. However, you can find some options on the menu of a fast food restaurant that could be healthier. Salads are a smart choice. Go for bread products that are made from wheat bread. Opt for lean meat. If you could choose between the fried and boiled options, order the boiled preparation. Avoid ordering carbonic drinks when you are thirsty. Go for fruit juices, low-fat milk, and diet soda. Is there anything better than plain water to quench your thirst? These days, nutrition information of the food served (and ingredients used) is displayed in the menu card. You could always resort to the 'make to order' option that certain fast food outlets offer, where you could restrict the use of ingredients that are not healthy. As dessert does not play an important role in the fast food meal menu, you can keep yourself away from delicious and tempting sugary dishes.

Disadvantages of Fast Food

Usually, fast food is higher in soya, fat, sugar, oil, fried meat, salt, cheese, mayonnaise and obviously calories. The maximum disadvantage of fast food is the difficult effect that it has on one's health. It is a truth that fast food is more unhealthy than home-cooked meals, as it contains higher amounts of unwanted nutrients like salt, fat and various types of additives (artificial chemicals). It may contain damaging bacteria too. Frying destroys most of the necessary nutrients from the food. Very small amounts of vegetables and fruits are normally present in fast food. Moreover, 'serving larger portions' when most people don't need extra portions has led to several health problems. We require a small amount of salt to maintain the health of the cells and tissues. Fast food being rich in salt, adversely affects the heart health and the overall health of an individual. Such type of food is an important contributor to obesity in the American population. Obesity is on the rise, and a direct link is being cited between fast food and obesity in children.

Given the inactive lifestyle that we show the way today, the overload fats and calories that we take in with fast food is not used up completely. The result is that these collect in our body as fat drops that cause complication like cardiovascular diseases and other related diseases of the heart. With obesity come other problems like high blood pressure and diseases of the joints. It is like a chain reaction set off by fast food and carried forward by our harmful lifestyle. In fact, a recent study has shown that people who live within walking distance of a fast food restaurant are at 13% higher danger of suffering from strokes than those who live a substantial distance away.

The greater the number of people at a meal in a fast food restaurant, the larger is the bill. Eating at fast food outlets is economical only for a single person. Going out to a fast food eating joint with family once in a while won't matter much. However, frequent visits to such restaurants with one's family can become quite an expensive affair, besides being unhealthy.

Fast foods joints are also being seen as a factor that is making a number of families spends less and less time together. Family meal time is something that is considered as an opportunity for all the members to come together and share their experiences. However, the fast food centers are rapidly eating into this quality time. This is particularly true about youngsters for whom a fast food center is a good place to hang out with friends and peers.

Fast food is a discovery of the modern times. Ready-made food being served fast and right in front of us is like a blessing after a hard day's work. Although, like everything, it has its own pros and cons. mentioning a few points about the advantages of fast food does not mean that I am denying its weakness. It is a fact that high amounts of fats and salt in fast food are raising concerns about their unpleasant effect on health. However, by making some smart choices while placing the order and also resorting to an active lifestyle, we can definitely reduce the weakness of fast food.

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