No one is under the illusion that pizza is good for your health, and sometimes it just tastes too delicious to care. But, there’s bad pizza, and then there’s the worst pizzas in America. Here’s a list of some of the worst choices you could make when it comes to indulging in this high-calorie treat.
1. Worst Supermarket Pizza
DiGiorno for One Traditional Crust Supreme Pizza
790 calories
36 g fat
1,460 mg sodium
This pizza has over 60% of your daily sodium and saturated fat and more trans fat than you should consume in a whole day. Need I say more?
2. Worst Single Slice
Sbarro Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza
959 calories
42 g fat
3,198 mg sodium
This oversized, stuffed slice is way more than any one person should be consuming in a day, let alone a mealtime. It’s equivalent to four pepperoni slices from Pizza Hut.
3. Worst Kid’s Pizza
Cosi’s Kid’s Pepperoni Pizza
911 calories
43 g fat
2,731 mg sodium
With the rising rate of childhood obesity, there’s no need to feed your child this cheesy, doughy piece of pie. Try a thinner slice of pizza, or even make him a grilled cheese sandwich, which will come to about 360 calories instead.
4. Worst Calzone
Pizza Hut Meaty P’Zone Pizza
1,480 calories
66 g fat
3,680 mg sodium
Opting for a calzone is even worse than indulging in a slice of pizza. This Pizza Hut calzone is basically a 12″ pizza folded into itself and filled with meat and cheese. So, yeah, you’d be indulging in a whole pizza by yourself. Eek!
5. Worst California Pizza Kitchen Pizza
CPK Tostada Pizza with Grilled Steak (1/2 pie)
840 calories
16 g fat
1,649 mg sodium
Tortilla chips, ranch dressing and steak may sound like a delicious pizza topping, but it’s also dangerous. Usually, the more complicated a pizza sounds, the more unnecessary calories you’re adding.
How to Find a Healthy Pizza
When choosing a healthier pizza, consider a few things.
Crust: Stuffed crust is the worst, and thin crust is the best. No surprise there.
Sauce: Basic tomato sauce is the best because it contains lycopene and is relatively low in calories. Stay away from specialty pizzas that use alfredo or white sauce instead of tomato sauce.
Toppings: By choosing plain cheese or even vegetarian pizza, you might actually be eating more slices than you would eating pizza with a filling, protein-packed topping. For the right kind of protein, opt for chicken or shrimp, rather than sausage or bacon.
