A professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health co-authored a new study that pinpoints another adversary in the obesity epidemic: pizza.
William Dietz, the director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, found that 23 percent of U.S. adolescents consume the salty, cheesy food every day.
“Pizza is everywhere,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The average slice of pizza has 285 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4 grams of sugar and a whopping 640 milligrams of sodium.
A margherita slice from Whole Foods has a significantly different makeup from a New York slice, with 325 calories, 15 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar and only 290 milligrams of sodium.
Dietz, an expert on the topics of obesity, nutrition and physical fitness, recommended that pizza lovers improve the composition of their slices and lessen the frequency of consumption. Thin crust options with veggies are, of course, a healthier choice than pepperoni and extra cheese.