How to eat healthier at Papa John’s

How to have your pizza and eat it too.

When it comes to pizza delivery, there’s only one chain that is worth mentioning: Papa Johns.

I love pizza. It’s one of my favorite foods. But you know what I don’t love? Being fat.

Before I began tracking, I used to eat half a large “The Meats” pizza, which clocks in at over 1,500 calories. Now that I’m tracking my calories and macros, a 1,500 calorie meal is more like a badge of disgust than a badge of honor. And 68g of fat is more than I like to consume in a single day.

Fortunately, I’m able to easily satisfy my pizza cravings at Papa John’s without compromising my health goals.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Toppings matter. Ditch the fatty meats like pepperoni and sausage and opt for leaner meats like grilled chicken and Canadian bacon and you’ll save yourself more calories than you’d think.

2) Slices matter. Do you really need that 4th slice? I used to eat 4 or sometimes 5 slices of large pizza just because I could. Now, I find 3 large slices is more than enough to satisfy me. If I’m not as hungry, I’ll just eat 2. Pro tip: buy a cheap pizza wheel on Amazon and cut each large slice in half. Then, eating 3 slices kind of feels like you’re eating 6.

3) Cheese matters. As of now, no pizza places that I know of offer a low-fat cheese option. But Papa John’s does offer a “lighter cheese” option, which saves about 40 calories per slice. If you’re eating a few slices, that adds up. And it still tastes delicious.

My go-to pizza at Papa John’s right now is the Hawaiian Chicken pizza with lighter cheese.

3 slices are only 780 calories, which is a very reasonable calorie count for any meal. It’s crazy that by making a few smarter choices you can go from consuming 1,520 calories to 780 and basically eat the same thing. It’s really all about nutritional awareness, which starts with tracking.

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