Like most kids, I went nuts for pizza. Be it a pizza party for getting good grades or celebrating a friend's birthday, I was always drooling for another slice. The cafeteria occasionally served pizza, but as everyone in the school knew, the pizza was sub-par compared to the pizza you could get if you ordered in.
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Once a month, however, Little Caesar's Pizza would come in and sell slices during lunch. I would always circle it on the calendar, making sure to have enough quarters in my money pouch to get a slice or two.
Unlike the school pizza, Little Cesaer's always ran on the greasy side, and to prevent it from draining through the thin paper plate, I would always dab the pizza with a napkin or two to get rid of the excess grease.
Later on, in middle school, I noticed girls doing the same thing, however, it was for a different reason entirely-to wipe away the extra calories.
But did it actually do anything? Middle school girl's body image aside, research has shown that blotting the extra oil off your pizza actually makes it healthier. In fact, one report states that it could remove up to 13% of total calories.
Most pizza grease comes from ingredients like cheese or meat, that expelled grease during the cooking process. It's the reason why your pepperoni pizza usually has more grease than a slice of pizza with cheese and vegetables.
But does it really make that big of a difference? Labdoor Magazine, which focuses on the science between health and wellness, conducted a scientific survey to find out. If one slice of American pizza has around 324 calories (117 of those from fat), you could possibly cut it down, ultimately letting you enjoy more pizza without the worry of putting on some extra weight.
The Food Network show, Food Detectives also took a swing at the myth of pizza blotting. Ted Allen, the host of the show, shared that blotting pizza could save you a few calories. Even Dr. Sanjay Gupta from CNN shared that using a paper napkin on your slices of pizza could cut down on excess fat. But take it with a grain of salt, the doctor also stated that the cut calories would be so minimal it would barely make a difference.
So it's really up to you and how you wanna eat your pizza slice.
