To say that American children love pizza would be an understatement, as studies show that approximately 20% of American youths eat pizza on any given day. This basically accounts for an additional 84 calories for children and 230 calories for adolescents when pizza was eaten as a meal. If pizza is a common staple in your household, it could be the very culprit that's causing weight gain. To avoid allowing pizza to have such a huge impact, here are three tips and tricks to implement when ordering pizza for your kids.

Stick to Thin Crust

Most pizzerias will give you the option of ordering either a thin crust or a thick crust pizza. Although the doughy goodness of a thick crust pizza is undeniable, the dough contains a substantial amount of calories and fat. This is especially true if you order a stuffed crust pizza. For the sake of your children's health, attempt to order more thin crust pizzas if pizza is a staple in your household. Thin crust pizzas tend to have absorbed less oil and fat and contain fewer calories. Switching from thick crust pizza to thin crust pizza also won't impact the taste of the pizza too much.

Choose More Vegetables as Toppings

Most children are rather picky with what they eat, and, as a result, most parents are keen to let their children customize their pizzas with their own favorite toppings. It's easy to go overboard with bacon, ham and pepperoni, and many children like to order their pizzas with extra cheese. All of these toppings add more calories to the meal. It's time to make some rules. For one, make sure that your children also order vegetables as toppings, and limit the amount of meat toppings that they can order at a time.

Limit the Size of the Pizza

It's hard to leave pizza unfinished. If there are any leftovers, best believe that your children are going to eat the leftovers as snacks the following day or later on in the day. This easily adds several hundred more calories to their day. With that said, limit the size of the pizza that they order. For example, allow each child to order their own personal pizza or allow them to order a medium only if they plan on sharing. This prevents your children from overeating.

Conclusion

Pizza like Ynot Italian is delicious and a simple and easy meal to have. This is perhaps why pizza is such a huge favorite among Americans. Although delicious, pizza can contain a lot of calories, so it's important to try to implement several rules in your household that will keep pizza dinners and lunches relatively healthy.