How Excessive Eating of Pizza Can Affect Children's Health

pizza Lisa Powel Dr. Yoni Freedhoof William Dietz Theresa Nash children's diet

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Aug 26, 11:25 pm

According to Live Science, many children in the United States eat too much pizza, and some researchers argue that the food should join the ranks of sugary drinks and fast foods due to increased data over the past few years.

Children should not eat more than one slice of pizza for a meal as it contains high-calorie, saturated fat, and salt, which is unsuitable for kids' diets.

Lisa Powel, director of the Illinois Prevention Research Center, states that parents should stop their kids from eating pizza and making it their snacks as they only risk their child's health. One of the studies found that kids consume an average of 136 calories per day only from eating pizza.

Powel clarifies that the excess calories kids can get from pizza are similar to when they eat fast food. Pizza remains a highly prevalent part of kids' diet; therefore, parents must make their pizza healthier and reduce its saturated fat and salt.

Pizza's popularity among children

Approximately 20 percent of children and teens in the United States eat pizza. When teens consume pizza, they will have more than 230 calories, while younger children will have more than 84 extra calories.

Pizza is mainly popular for its taste and appears cheap among children. An affordable price for food allows children to buy more and consume more, says Dr. Yoni Freedhoof, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

He added that pizza is inevitable as it can be found in the school cafeteria, at birthday parties, group events, and family nights. This makes it hard for children to avoid eating pizza. However, eating pizza exposes children to nutrition-related diseases: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. This would primarily lead to poor eating habits as there are too many calories, salt, and fat.

William Dietz, director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at George Washington University, says children can still eat pizza, but parents must make sure that there is moderation to reduce obesity among the U.S. youth, per Hartford Magazine.

Making kids eat healthier and more beneficial pizza

Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, said that if children love pizza, then there must be a way for them to eat the food without taking calories away from other types of food.

Pizza can become healthier by only using whole-wheat or white whole wheat for the crust. Instead of putting the usual toppings, try putting more fruits and vegetables and use less cheese or stronger-flavored cheese.

Theresa Nash, director of Food and Nutritional Services at Cook Children's, suggests pizza recipes that can be done in the house and are beneficial for kids. She noted that parents must be aware of the toppings, crust, and the type and amount of cheese their child will be eating as it already tells if a pizza is healthy or not, per Checkup Newsroom.