Pizza Days Boost Kids’ Calories, Fat, Salt

Kids eat a lot of pizza. And on the days when they do, chances are they take in more calories, fat and sodium than usual, a new study finds. The study looked at data from a national health and nutrition survey. The numbers used were from 4 surveys, done between 2003 and 2010. They included families of almost 14,000 children and teens. People were asked what their kids had eaten in the last 24 hours. From the first to last surveys, calories from pizza declined somewhat. But on the days children under 12 ate pizza, they took in 84 more calories than usual. They also ate 3 grams more saturated fat and 134 milligrams more sodium. For teens, with their larger size and appetite, pizza days brought 230 extra calories. Saturated fat rose by 5 grams and sodium by 484 milligrams. When kids ate pizza, it provided more than 20% of the day’s calories.