Do you believe you can’t eat pizza and lose weight? You’d better start believing now. All that is required is that you do it correctly. One Italian pizza chef did, and it helped him lose weight and improve his health significantly. Pasquale Cozzolino is the executive chef and co-owner of Ribalta pizzerias in Manhattan and Atlanta. He knew he needed to lose weight but couldn’t give up his daily pizza habit. So he discovered a way to lose weight by eating pizza.
Cozzolino resolved to find a way to lose weight while still eating pizza daily. He experimented with ways to make pizza healthier and lower in calories, employing techniques from his native Naples, such as using a fermented dough with more fiber. Every day, he would eat one small pizza for lunch. The remainder of his meals followed the Mediterranean diet.
It was successful. The chef lost 114 pounds in 9 months without giving up his favorite pizza. Cozzolino discovered simple hacks to help him lose weight while still eating pizza, including smart ways to cut calories from pies that you can use for both takeout and homemade pizza.
1. Drink before you eat.
That is water. People frequently confuse thirst with hunger and reach for a fork instead of a glass of ice water. Drink a glass of water before you eat to avoid overeating pizza.
2. Don’t be plain.
Adding fiber- and protein-rich toppings can reduce any pizza’s glycemic index (GI), which measures how quickly blood sugar levels rise in response to a specific food. A simple cheese pizza, for example, has a GI of 80 out of 100, whereas a veggie pie has a GI of 49. The best GI-lowering toppers are raw vegetables and lean meats like chicken breast. Avoid toppings made from vegetables that have been cooked in an oil bath.
3. See red.
Pizzas with tomato sauce should be preferred over white pizzas. The more red, the better because tomato sauce is high in lycopene, shown in studies to be cardioprotective and reduce the risk of certain cancers.
4. Cut the cheese.
Ordering half-cheese pizza reduces the saturated fat content of plain or vegetable-topped pies by 50%.
5. Bloat out the oil.
If you notice a pool of oil floating on top of your cheese pizza, grab a napkin and mop it up. You’ll save approximately 50 calories and possibly keep the grease off your shirt.
6. Eliminate liquid calories.
Most people drink soda, sweet tea, beer, or wine with their pizza. To avoid the extra calories, drink water or unsweetened iced tea instead.
7. Think thin.
Most of the evils of pizza are contained in the empty calorie yet highly caloric crust, typically made from refined white flour. Because most pizzerias do not use the such expensive dough, Cozzolino recommends ordering thin-crust pizza to minimize the carbohydrate impact on your blood sugar.
8. Turn up the heat.
Adding a little spice to your pizza pie can trick you into eating less and increase your calorie-burning metabolism. A study conducted by Canadian researchers discovered that men who ate spicy appetizers consumed 200 fewer calories than those who did not. So garnish your pizza with fresh black pepper, red chile flakes, or jalapeno slices if you’re feeling brave.
9. Go green.
A series of well-cited Yale University studies suggest that eating a salad appetizer before a meal can reduce total calorie intake by up to 20%. Begin your pizza dinner with a large garden salad. Add a scant tablespoon of vinaigrette to your greens. According to research, vinegar can help you lose weight by keeping your blood sugar stable. In one study of prediabetics, adding vinegar to a high-carb meal (such as pizza) reduced the subsequent rise in blood sugar by 34%.
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