It you’ve ever stopped yourself from starting your day with a fresh pizza because you don’t think it’s balanced enough, there’s good news. Nutritionist have weighed in, and said that very frequently, cereal is a worse choice than pizza.
Cereal may be marketed as a breakfast choice, but most varieties of cereal contain exorbitant amounts of sugar. Additionally, they tend to lack in protein, and are only mediocre with regards to healthy fats. Pizza on the other hand looks like a nutritional powerhouse in comparison, with its blend of protein, carbs, fat, vegetables, and lack of sugar.
The Daily Meal shared that they spoke to New York nutritionist, Chelsey Amer, MS, RDN, CDN, who said, “A slice of pizza contains more fat and much less sugar than most cold cereals, so you will not experience a quick sugar crash.”
To compare, one serving of Raisin Bran contains almost the entire daily recommendation for sugar at 18 grams. Amer added that the protein and fat in pizza will also help keep eaters satiated for longer periods of time than a bowl of sugar. She went on to add, however, that traditional pizza still isn’t the healthiest breakfast option, just that it’s better than most cereals.
If you have your heart set on a healthy breakfast pizza, the task is not an impossible one. Adding eggs or some lean breakfast meats to a pizza, as well as using less cheese can make for a nutritious and satisfying breakfast pizza. One of the healthiest breakfast options, of course, would be high protein Greek yogurt, with no added sugar. Rather than eating plain yogurt for breakfast, you can jazz it up with some fresh fruit.
Another good option, Amer added is, a second helping of dinner set aside from the previous night can make a healthy breakfast if it’s chock full of veggies and balanced—for example, a generous portion of veggies sauteed in EVOO with herbs tossed with a lean protein, or chicken breast or lentils with a small scoop of quinoa,”