Pizza started in the 1700s and became a staple treat for a lot of people since. One can opt to have a slice for a snack or eat more for a full meal. In this article, we’ll show you what protein is, how it helps your body, how much protein on a pizza, and the other nutritional benefits you can acquire from savoring a pizza. Pizza consists of dough, sauce (most of the time tomato), cheese, and different toppings. This well-loved food has a lot of protein and other nutritional content based on its ingredients. Yes, it’s more than just a greasy pie you use your hands to indulge on.
More than the satisfying array of flavors a pizza provides, eating one can help add protein to your body.
What is Protein?
The US Food and Drug Administration highly suggests a 2,000-calorie diet a day to keep a balanced lifestyle. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans further recommends around 39 grams of protein daily for an individual to have a good protein source.
Protein is a vital body nutrient that builds and repairs tissues. It also serves as the building block of your bones and muscles, which gives off energy. Protein is found everywhere in the body, like your nails, hair, and skin. When you eat food with protein, your body muscle mass and strength eventually increase, especially when you match the proper strengthening exercises.
Lack of protein may result in over-all weakness due to lack of energy and cramps and soreness.
How Much Protein On A Pizza?
Now that you know how protein helps us function well every day, let’s see how much protein your favorite pizza has on each slice. A typical cheese pizza has 13 to 22 grams of protein per portion, sufficient to meet your daily protein needs, and allows a little room for other food sources.
Here’s a list of some your favorite brands’ protein component with a slice of cheese pizza:
- Pizza Hut – 15 grams (large-hand tossed cheese)
- Papa John’s – 10 grams (large original crust cheese)
- Domino’s – 12 grams (large-hand tossed cheese)
- Little Caesars – 12 grams (large hot-n-ready classic cheese)
With these pizza varieties averaging 13 grams, this generally composes 26% daily value in a 2,000-calorie diet. This amount mostly comes from the cheese, and partly from the crust.
What Other Nutrients Are In A Pizza?
Apart from protein, other nutrients in a pizza are present, too. Tomato-based pizza sauce gives calcium, iron, unsaturated fat, and vitamins A and C. Pizza also have carbohydrates and dietary fiber. These nutrients keep your bones, eyesight, immune system, and other body components healthy and energized.
Pizza can be high in sodium and calories, though. Some suggestions for reducing these include using whole wheat flour for the pizza dough or keeping the pizza crust thin. Learn more about healthy pizzas.
Conclusion
Pizza is a good source of protein. But much like any food, you must eat in moderation and match it with a healthy lifestyle. You may eat pizza along with a salad and keep a daily workout routine in place. This way, you win in life. You get to confidently eat pizza and maintain a healthy body at the same time.