Pizza for breakfast could be a better option than some cereal, says nutritionist

Pizza for breakfast doesn’t sound like a bad idea – after all, it does taste better the next day. Well, now, according to one nutritionist, a slice of pizza can actually be a “more balanced breakfast option” than some “sugar-filled breakfast cereals” on the market.

New York dietician, Chelsey Amer, told ABC News, “A slice of plain cheese pizza contains a balance of carbs, protein, and fat. A bowl of sugary cereal with low-fat milk is largely sugar and extremely carb-heavy.”

What may initially seem like a provocative statement was soon cleared up by Dr Lauren Kelly, who works with the ABC News medical unit. She suggested that Amer’s comments were merely “to highlight that cereal has poor nutritional value and people are eating it all of the time.”

“Not that pizza is the best choice either, but people usually consider pizza a cheat food -- the opposite of a healthy choice”, she added.

“A bowl of sugary cereal with low-fat milk is largely sugar and extremely carb-heavy”, Amer suggested Shutterstock / Elena Veselova

The comparison was not to recommend pizza as an everyday breakfast staple; it was to encourage people to “focus on a balance of high fiber carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats to stay full throughout the morning.”

Kelly said, “It’s shocking to know that pizza is comparable to (if not higher in protein than) the food, so many American kids are eating every morning for breakfast.”

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter, The Viral Democracy

“The important take-home is to be more mindful of what’s in our food and to eat a balanced breakfast that’s high in protein and minimizes carbs from added sugar and fried foods”, she added.

Amer did point out that there are equally some great cereals in the supermarkets. “Look for whole grains and less than 5g sugar per serving when checking the Nutrition Facts label”, she advised.

We knew it was too good to be true!