{"id":13495,"date":"2024-05-15T07:18:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T11:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/?p=13495"},"modified":"2024-06-09T16:35:43","modified_gmt":"2024-06-09T20:35:43","slug":"pizza-pizazz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/2024\/05\/15\/pizza-pizazz\/","title":{"rendered":"Pizza Pizazz!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n
I want someone to look at me the same way I look at pizza. – Anonymous<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n

I often wax rhapsodic about pizza! I\u2019m not the only one who loves pizza. In fact, 94% of Americans eat pizza regularly and about 13% of us will eat pizza today. How much pizza does that mean? We\u2019re talking over 5 billion pizzas sold worldwide each year ($38 billion in revenue!) Wow! That\u2019s approximately 100 acres of pizza eaten each day or 350 slices per second. And that doesn\u2019t include the pizzas made right in our own kitchens. So I\u2019m certainly not alone in my love for pizza.<\/p>\n

Little did the folks from Naples in the early 1500\u2019s know what they had invented. Home cooks of modest means made the first pizzas with leftover flat bread, extra sauce and cheese. It was an inexpensive meal using up leftover ingredients. The first documented pizzeria in the world opened in Port’Alba in Naples, Italy during the late 1800s. Pizza wasn’t popular in the United States until after WWII when soldiers that were stationed in Italy brought the idea for pizzerias back to the US.<\/p>\n

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n
Small, large, circle, square, thin crust, thick crust, stuffed crust, extra toppings.<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n
– Anonymous<\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n

My friends and I used to joke that pizza hit several important food groups and was a well-balanced meal. On further investigation, depending on the toppings and crust, it turns out we could be right. \u00a0Carbs plus veggies plus dairy! One slice averages 12 grams of protein. Pizza offers a dose of all of the macronutrients<\/a>\u2014the crust contains carbohydrates while the cheese provides both fat and protein. We weren\u2019t wrong, but like many \u201ccomfort\u201d foods, moderation is key. Essentially, pizza is a base (usually a bread or a vegetable) a sauce (usually tomato based or other non-tomato sauces such as pesto) and cheese and other toppings.<\/p>\n

The lycopene<\/a> found in tomato sauce is really good for you. Lycopene is an antioxidant that may help prevent cancer and heart disease. In addition to lycopene, tomato sauce is high in flavonoids, which are beneficial in fighting an array of complications, such as inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and depression.\"\"<\/p>\n

Life is not about finding yourself. It’s about finding pizza. – Anonymous<\/span><\/em><\/h5>\n

The quality of ingredients used for your pizza is key. It’s best if you make the pizza at home, that way you can control sodium, sugars and fats. Plus, it\u2019s fun to make your own creations. My nephew loves to make his own pizza crust and then the rest of us get to \u201ctop\u201d it with our favorite ingredients. YUM!!!<\/p>\n

Tips and Techniques<\/h2>\n

Options for Healthier Pizza:\"\"<\/h3>\n

Crust:<\/span><\/h5>\n