I Ate Pizza for Breakfast Every Day for a Week—Because a Nutritionist Said It Was Healthier Than Cereal

I’ve usually been a fan of pizza. In high faculty, I looked forward to the one time every week my parents would order a pie for dinner—and then the bloodless leftover slice i would inevitably devour for breakfast the following morning. So when I heard about a nutritionist who stated pizza may be healthier than a bowl of cereal for breakfast, i used to be intrigued.

in preference to eating my typical cereal or Greek yogurt for breakfast, I thought it turned into worth attempting pizza for 5 days straight. The proper pizza supposedly can offer greater nutrients than a bowl of sugary corn flakes, the nutritionist said, and that i wanted to check the principle. To make certain i used to be doing breakfast pizza the right way, I spoke with health contributing vitamins editor Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, who provided a few critical pointers on the way to healthify my every day pizza.

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“A pie piled with processed pork and cheese with a thick crust may also leave you feeling sluggish, sleepy, and bloated all day,” says Sass, “however a pizza loaded with vegetables, lean protein, and mild cheese (or no cheese!) on a wholesome crust may be a nourishing and energizing manner to begin your day, and may even help with weight loss.”

She shows the use of a crust manufactured from cauliflower or almond flower for a decrease carb remember and choosing a wholesome base like dairy-free pesto or tomato sauce. Then, pinnacle she recommended I pinnacle the pizza with lots of greens to get nutrients and preserve it light.

With Sass’s hints in thoughts, I headed to the grocery keep and prepared for my foray into breakfast pizza. I selected a whole wheat crust from trader Joe’s, which I rolled out on my own and crowned with tomato sauce, feta cheese (Sass says this cheese is lower in fat than your regular mozzarella), prosciutto slices for a protein boost, peppers, and basil.

After baking the pizza on Sunday night time, I couldn’t face up to and ate part of my breakfast for dinner. Spoiler alert: it became scrumptious. I went to bed excited to eat extra pizza for breakfast.
Day 1: selfmade pizza crowned with veggies

earlier than heading to paintings, I wrapped a slice of my pizza introduction in aluminum foil. I ate my first slice bloodless, which may also sound unappetizing to a few, but I personally love cold pizza.I topped my slice with arugula for added veggies and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. midway through my breakfast, I texted my buddy just to inform her how splendid pizza for breakfast is.

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My pizza held me over for about three hours until lunch. That’s tons longer than after I consume a bowl of cereal for breakfast, but about the same quantity of time as when I devour Greek yogurt for my morning meal. still, it felt quality to exchange up my a.m. recurring with a savory instead of sugary breakfast alternative.
Day 2: Pepperoni pizza from the freezer aisle

I thought I is probably bored of pizza  days in a row, but the leftovers were simply as scrumptious as Day 1. I determined to warmness up the pizza nowadays to combine it up a touch, however common the same exceptional taste become there and that i loved each bite. After completing my slice, I realized I had consumed the final of my concoction, so i'd have to figure out wherein my subsequent three day’s worth of slices might come from.

considering I wanted to peer how ingesting no longer-so-healthful pizza ought to have an effect on me too, i finished by using a nearby drugstore and stocked up with one frozen pepperoni pizza. I got home and threw that sucker inside the oven for 25 minutes and boom, breakfast for the following three days was ready to move. I cherished how easy preparing my breakfast pizza the night time before was, but was curious to peer how it affected my frame.

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Day 3: post-pizza hunger kicks in

I’ll be honest: when I pulled out a slice of pepperoni pizza at 9 a.m., my coworkers checked out me funny. still, nothing may want to stand between the golden buttery crust and me, so I luckily ate my slice. I crowned the frozen pizza with arugula again, as it felt unusual to handiest eat cheese, bread, and pepperoni first thing in the morning after I generally have some thing lighter and extra nutrient dense, like Greek yogurt and fruit.

by means of 11 a.m., I noticed i was getting quite hungry. That hunger persevered at some point of the whole day. generally, i'm able to wait until 7 p.m. to have dinner, but i used to be starving through 6 p.m.
Day four: yearning candy cereal or fruit

It pains me to say this, but by means of Day four i was getting a touch bored of my loved pizza. I craved something sweeter for breakfast, like a bowl of Raisin Bran or even a banana with peanut butter. It didn’t help that my workplace had a bagel unfold. I couldn’t face up to, so I were given fruit and a croissant and ate them along with my pizza.

nevertheless, my carbo-loading didn’t keep me complete for terribly long, and yet again i was hungry earlier than noon. in keeping with Sass, a nutritionally balanced pizza must maintain you feeling glad for approximately four hours, so I knew i used to be failing on that the front. still, I proceeded within the call of journalism.

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Day five: Boredom...and bloat

On my final morning, I gazed regrettably at my lone pizza slice. I genuinely became now not in the mood to devour pizza for breakfast once more. I found out that i like to replace up my food and become bored easily, so eating the identical food for a week directly was attending to me. I ate my very last slice as quick as feasible to get it over with.

On a wonderful observe, eating pizza for breakfast every day eased my usual dinner pizza cravings. And on Day five, I didn’t feel hungry again until noon. maybe it turned into the kombucha I drank along my slice, maybe it was sheer success, but i was glad with how full I felt.

In terms of the overall physical consequences, i used to be extraordinarily more bloated than ordinary through the quit of the week and excited to take a destroy from pizza. I thought eating pizza for breakfast could affect my temper or electricity ranges, but I didn’t enjoy any destructive results except getting hungrier in advance than regular for lunch. My experiment did make me suppose more difficult about what the rest of my meals might seem like for the day since my breakfast appeared so, nicely, bad.