Improving Your Restaurant

How To Enjoy Pizza Without The Guilt

17 November 2017

Julia Payne

If pizza is your go-to food when you need to enjoy a guilty pleasure, you're not alone. One survey found that pizza was the top on the list of indulgent foods that respondents couldn't give up. Out of 50 possible choices, 40% of survey respondents said pizza was the guilty pleasure that they couldn't live without. But what if you could enjoy pizza without feeling guilty about it? It can be done – and no, you don't have to leave off the cheese or top all your pizzas with bean sprouts. The trick is to indulge your craving for pizza without overindulging. There are some simple steps you can take to trick your brain into thinking that you've had enough before you end up eating too much.

Request a Double Cut Pizza

An ordinary pizza has only eight slices. To keep your pizza consumption to a minimum, request that your pizza is double cut instead. This means that you get sixteen slices instead of eight. This helps in a couple of ways.

If you're used to eating two slices of pizza before feeling full, the chances are good that you'll feel full after two slices – even if those slices are smaller. This is partly because your brain is counting slices, not measuring size. It may also take you longer to eat two slices than one, even if they're smaller. The slower you eat, the longer your stomach has to send the signal to your brain that it's full. Pair your pizza slices with a salad or other healthy side to help fill yourself up without overdoing it on the pizza. Not only will you consume fewer calories, your pizza dollars will stretch further this way.

Eat From a Plate

When the pizza arrives at your front door, do you set the box on the table, grab a slice, and just start eating? Eating straight out of the box might be part of your problem. Try eating off a plate instead.

This is a simple visual trick. When you put food on a small plate and finish it, your brain registers that you've cleared a whole plate, which can seem like a lot of food. You're liable to feel full when the plate is clear. If your brain is registering the pizza box as the plate, it may not realize that you're full until you've polished off the whole pizza.

Add Red Pepper Flakes

If you don't mind spicy food, consider giving your pizza a little extra kick. You don't have to order anything different, just ask the pizza place to throw on some red pepper flakes, or add some yourself.

It turns out that spicy food can help decrease your appetite. It cuts down on cravings for sweet, fatty, and salty foods and helps you feel full faster. Spice also improves your body's ability to burn calories and fat, so if you do overindulge, at least your body will be able to shed the calories more efficiently.

If you're craving a delicious pizza tonight, don't feel guilty. Go ahead and order it from a pizza take out menu. Just use these simple tricks to help keep your portion sizes under control. 

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