In this article, we are going to discuss the “What is the pizza diet by MacCelen?”. I will include two types of pizza diets made by two different pizza Chefs. I will talk about Neapolitan pizza and its toppings, and some disadvantages of the pizza diet.
What is the pizza diet by MacCelen?
The pizza diet is a diet spread by Matt MacCelen, a long-time cyclist who owns two pizza restaurants. He wanted to prove those who blamed pizzas for extra weight and went on a month’s diet eating only pizza.
He ate eight slices of the healthiest pizza options. He replaced unhealthy topics like sausages and pepperoni that are cured meat with healthier options including chicken, broccoli and fat-free cheese.
After a month of eating pizza only, he did manage to shed a few pounds. He lost almost 30 pounds in a month, and his waistline decreased as well. Even his cholesterol level dropped by 86 points. His body fat was almost reduced in half, going from 19% to 9%.
That diet was accompanied by working out an hour each day. As with any diet to consider, you have to remember no diet fits everyone. Each person’s body reacts differently to food. People with health conditions such as diabetes should consult their doctors before they go on any diet, it may contradict their medical conditions and is not a good fit for them.
What is the other pizza diet adapted by Pasquale Cozzolino?
Another pizza maker, Pasquale Cozzolino also adopted a pizza diet, but it was different from MacCelen’s pizza diet.
The diet included one pizza a day. Not just any pizza, but a special pizza called Neapolitan pizza with a Mediterranean diet and removal of soda and baked goods.
Cozzolino lost 114 pounds in 9 months only. His weight loss journey was as follows, losing 20 pounds in the first two weeks of his diet, which increased his motivation to lose some more. In less than a year he accomplished such great results.
What did chef Cozzolino eat on the pizza diet?
His breakfast would include cereal, but he would reach out for whole-grain cereals that are full of fiber, a much more satisfying option than the regular sugar cereal. He added milk to the cereal but chose the low-fat milk option to reduce his fat intake.
He added fresh fruit to his breakfast. It is a balanced breakfast with carbs, protein, and fiber in one meal.
For snacks, he included fruit. It could be apples, bananas or any other fruit.
For lunch, he had Neapolitan pizza almost daily. He added some fruits and salad to the lunch to make it more nutritious. The lunch seems to have fibers, carbs, and protein in it. The fibers are included in fruits and vegetables. While carbs are in the pizza crust, and the protein is included in the mozzarella on top.
For dinner chef Cozzolino had seafood. Stewed octopus and beans are what he described on his website. Yet you can also choose your own seafood choices like salmon or shrimp. The dinner seemed to include a new variety of meat.
Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the health and skin. He also included a source of carbs which is beans that includes both carbs and protein, as well as the fiber component in them.
What is Neapolitan pizza?
The Neapolitan pizza is a pizza of Italian origin. It is a simple pizza with fresh ingredients including dough, raw tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Neapolitan pizza is much healthier than regular pizza.
It contains fewer calories than regular pizza. The crust is chewy and the ingredients are minimal and fresh. The whole pizza contains a range from 400 to 800 calories.
Chef Cozzolino’s pizza dough contains only 4 ingredients:
- Yeast
- Salt
- Water
- Flour (oo flour which is finely milled wheat flour from Italy)
The Neapolitan pizza’s dough is fermented for 36 hours. The purpose of a long fermentation process is to remove all sugar content from the dough by providing so much time for the yeast to eat it all. Thus no simple sugar remains in the dough, rather only complex carbs are present.
What are some healthy pizza toppings?
Some healthy pizza toppings include chicken, vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, fish, squash, and sweet potatoes.
What are some disadvantages of the pizza diet?
Pizza diets if they included only pizza like MacCallen’s pizza diet are not nutritious enough. They do not include the vitamins and minerals that are present in fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The variety is needed in diets to get all your body needs for micronutrients.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the “What is the pizza diet by MacCelen?”. I included two types of pizza diets made by two different pizza Chefs. I talked about Neapolitan pizza and its toppings, and some disadvantages to the pizza diet.
References
The Real-Life Diet of a Cyclist-Turned-Bodybuilder Who Literally Eats Only Pizza | GQ
The Pizza Diet: Pros, Cons, and What You Can Eat (verywellfit.com)
The Pizza Diet – Chef Pasquale Cozzolino (chefcozzolino.com)
Neapolitan Pizza: History, Variations, and More (thespruceeats.com)