Pizza Hut: A Nutritional Comparison

Pizza Hut has become one of the best known pizza chain restaurants in the United States. Their menus and atmosphere cater to everything from the casual lunch or dinner, to parties, get togethers, and celebrations. As attentive diners, we should be aware of what the value is of the food we are ingesting.

Pizza lovers everywhere are quick to point out that pizza covers all the important food groups: meats, vegetables, dairy, and breads. But although a pizza slice may be shaped, and filled with, the food pyramid, it may not be the healthiest menu choice. Pizza Hut does offer healthier options for the health-conscious, and the restaurant is very open with its nutrition information. Pizza Hut's website (http://www.pizzahut.com/Nutrition.aspx) offers nutritional information, as well as a nutrition calculator in which you can customize your entire meal - including drinks, sides, desserts, sauces, and pizza toppings - to determine the nutritional value of your meal.Here's the comparison of a few meal options at Pizza Hut.

The Healthy Meal
- 1 Slice Fit 'N Delicious 12" Medium Chicken & Veggie Pizza
- 1 Breadstick Appetizer
- Medium Diet Pepsi

This is a fairly moderate lunch meal for the health-conscious. Together, this amounts to 310 calories, 11 grams (16% DV) of total fat, 20 milligrams (6% DV) of cholesterol, 40 grams (13% DV) of carbohydrates, 2 grams (7% DV) of dietary fiber, and 13 grams of protein, as well as 6% DV Vitamin A, 8% DV of calcium, and 15% DV of iron. Overall, a meal that stays true to its intention, not breaking any diet.

The "College" Lunch
- 1 Individual Meat Lover's Personal Pan Pizza (6")
- 2 Hot Wings
- Medium Mt. Dew