Have a habit of munching on a slice or two of cold leftover pizza in the morning? Well, it’s probably a lot healthier than that bowl of cereal that you get out of the pantry.
"You may be surprised to find out that an average slice of pizza and a bowl of cereal with whole milk contain nearly the same amount of calories," nutritionist Chelsey Amer said in an interview with the Daily Meal. "However, pizza packs a much larger protein punch, which will keep you full and boost satiety throughout the morning."
Tech Times pointed out that one of the main ingredients in pizza -- cheese -- ;has its share of health benefits.
Pizza’s not a healthy food, of course, and the amount of cheese in a slice varies by brand and type, but a slice does contain much less sugar than most cold cereals, Amer noted.
Recent studies have shown that eating “small amounts” of cheese -- 40 grams or 1.41 ounces -- on a daily basis help to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease. An average 14-inch pie may contain about 8 to 12 ounces of cheese total.
An average slice of regular crust pizza has approximately 3.8 grams of sugar. Compare that to one serving (approximately 0.75 to 1 cup) of these popular cereals:
Frosted Flakes: 11 g
Lucky Charms: 12.6 g
Honey Nut Cheerios: 12.8 g
Kellogg's Froot Loops: 12.1 g
But there are certainly healthier cereal options out there. For example, a serving of Corn Flakes only holds about 2.7 grams of sugar. One serving of Kellogg's Special K contains approximately the same as a slice of regular crust pizza: 3.8 grams.
If you really want to be smart about breakfast eating, however, try switching out cereal -- or pizza -- for some oatmeal, fruit and/or vegetables, eggs, avocado or Greek yogurt.