Parents tend to see pizza as a sandwich topped with natural tomato sauce, pieces of pepper or olives, and a little nutritious cheese. That image, which seems innocent and convincing at first glance, is in fact a real dietary trap. A US study published in the journal Pediatrics, carried out by researchers at the University of Illinois, has exposed its dimensions.
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The study found that pizza is the second-largest source of energy in the diets of young people, with about 20% of them eating it every day. The shock lies in the gap between what parents think of as a light snack and what a single slice delivers to a child's body. On days when children and adolescents eat pizza, their intake of calories, saturated fat and sodium jumps sharply compared with days without it, and for teenagers pizza accounts for more than a quarter of their total daily calories.
Parents' biggest misconception is overlooking how processed the ingredients are. The cheeses used are not a pure source of calcium as commonly believed. They are mostly blocks of saturated fat and concentrated salt, far beyond what a child needs.
Commercial tomato sauce is often also loaded with added sugars and preservatives to enhance its flavour, while the dough is made from refined white flour that raises blood sugar very quickly and contains none of the real fibre that would help a child feel full.
The problem is compounded when parents serve pizza as a quick snack between meals, thinking it is just a light bite. The study showed this increases calorie intake by 200 to 365 calories, without children eating less at their next meal to compensate.
Nutrition experts say breaking this dietary illusion requires parents to stop treating commercial pizza as a complete healthy meal and to start making it at home. That means using whole-grain flour, reducing the amount of cheese, and relying on fresh, unprocessed vegetables, to protect their children from early slides towards obesity and heart disease.
Source: Al-Ghad.
