Pizza is a popular food that many people enjoy as an occasional treat. However, it is important to be mindful of portion sizes and calorie counts, especially for supreme pizza loaded with toppings. Knowing how many calories are in a slice of supreme pizza can help you make informed choices about when and how much to indulge.
What is Supreme Pizza?
Supreme pizza typically refers to a pizza loaded with a variety of meat and vegetable toppings. Some common supreme pizza toppings include:
- Pepperoni
- Sausage
- Ham
- Bacon
- Beef
- Onions
- Green peppers
- Mushrooms
- Black olives
- Extra cheese like mozzarella
The many toppings make supreme pizza a very dense and calorie-packed food. The number of toppings can vary by restaurant, but supreme pizzas tend to have 5 or more toppings.
Calories in Pizza Toppings
To determine how many calories are in a supreme pizza slice, it helps to understand the calorie counts of popular pizza toppings:
Meats
- Pepperoni: 70 calories in 2 slices
- Sausage: 45 calories per ounce
- Ham: 40 calories per ounce
- Bacon: 43 calories per strip
- Beef: 60 calories per ounce
Pizza meats like pepperoni, sausage, and bacon can add significant calories to each slice. Just two pepperoni slices is 70 calories while a single ounce of sausage or beef provides 45-60 calories.
Vegetables
- Onions: 10 calories per ounce
- Green peppers: 10 calories per ounce
- Mushrooms: 5 calories per mushroom
- Black olives: 9 calories per olive
Vegetable toppings add important nutrients but are relatively low in calories. Onions, green peppers, mushrooms and olives only have around 5-10 calories per ounce. Loading up on veggie toppings can help make a supreme pizza slice more nutritious without spiking calories.
Cheese
- Mozzarella: 85 calories per ounce
- Cheddar: 114 calories per ounce
Cheese is often piled high on supreme pizza, providing creaminess and rich flavor. However, it also packs a lot of calories. Just one ounce of mozzarella adds 85 calories. Many pizza slices have 2 or more ounces of melted cheese.
Calories in Pizza Crust
In addition to the toppings, the pizza crust itself contributes a significant number of calories:
- Thin crust: 70 calories per slice
- Thick crust: 100 calories per slice
- Stuffed crust: 115 calories per slice
Thin crust has the lowest calories while thick and stuffed crust pizzas have more. The Olive Garden supreme pizza uses a thick crust, which starts off each slice with 100 calories.
Calories in Full Supreme Pizza Slice
Putting it all together, a supreme pizza slice from a pizza chain like Domino’s or Pizza Hut will have:
- 100 calories from a thick crust base
- 50-100 calories from cheese
- 50-100 calories from meat toppings
- 20-40 calories from veggie toppings
This puts a total supreme slice in the range of:
220 – 340 calories per slice
The exact amount can vary based on the size of the slice, number of toppings and type of crust. But most supreme pizza slices from a pizza delivery chain fall within this calorie range.
Here is a nutrition breakdown for a supreme pizza slice from some popular national pizza chains:
Domino’s
- 1 slice (1/8 14” pizza) supreme: 320 calories
Pizza Hut
- 1 slice (1/8 14” pizza) supreme: 340 calories
Papa John’s
- 1 slice (1/6 14” pizza) supreme: 280 calories
As you can see, a single 14-inch supreme pizza slice from the major pizza chains provides 280-340 calories.
Ways to Make Supreme Pizza Healthier
Supreme pizza is a treat that doesn’t have to be off limits if you make it in moderation. Here are some tips for lightening up supreme pizza:
- Request thin crust instead of thick or stuffed crust.
- Ask for half the cheese to cut calories without losing too much flavor.
- Load up with veggie toppings instead of extra meats.
- Opt for a small or medium pizza instead of large.
- Eat just 1-2 slices instead of 3 or more.
- Take home leftovers instead of overeating in one sitting.
- Split a pizza with a friend to control portions.
With sensible adjustments, you can still enjoy supreme pizza while paying attention to your health and nutrition goals.
Health Impacts of Regular Pizza Eating
While the occasional supreme pizza slice is fine, eating pizza too often can impact your health due to the high calories, saturated fat, sodium and refined carbs. Potential downsides of regular pizza eating include:
- Weight gain: Pizza is high in calories yet low in nutrients. Frequent pizza eating can cause you to consume excess calories and gain weight over time.
- High cholesterol: The meat toppings and cheese on supreme pizza are high in saturated fat, which can raise unhealthy LDL cholesterol levels when consumed in excess.
- High blood pressure: A diet high in sodium can lead to increased blood pressure, or hypertension. Supreme pizza is very high in sodium from all the processed meats, cheese and salty flavorings.
- Heart disease: Diets high in saturated fat, sodium and calories are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
- Nutrient deficiencies: Pizzas lack vitamins, minerals and fiber compared to healthier whole foods. Eating too much can lead to nutrient deficiencies.
- Blood sugar problems: The refined flour crust and lack of fiber causes rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar when pizza is eaten often.
To stay in good health, supreme and other types of pizza should be limited to an occasional indulgence. Aim for balanced eating focused on nutritious whole foods on a daily basis.
Healthier Pizza Alternatives
When you’re craving pizza, there are ways to satisfy the urge with healthier alternatives:
- Cauliflower pizza crust: Swap traditional dough for a veggie-based cauliflower crust to add nutrients.
- Vegetable pizzas: Load up the pie with healthy veggies instead of meats and extra cheese.
- Homemade pizzas: Make it yourself with wholesome ingredients including whole wheat dough, reduced fat cheese and lean meats like chicken breast.
- Flatbread pizzas: Look for flatbread pizzas with thinner, lighter crusts than deep dish. Top with lots of veggies.
- Single serve pizzas: Opt for a personal-size pizza you can make or order so portions stay reasonable.
- Pizza toppings salads: Make a salad topped with pizza ingredients like mozzarella, pepperoni, tomatoes, peppers and onions.
With a little creativity, you can recreate the flavors of pizza in a more nutrition-packed way.
Conclusion
A supreme pizza slice from a pizza delivery chain typically contains between 220-340 calories depending on the size and specific toppings. While delicious, supreme pizza is high in calories as well as saturated fat and sodium. Enjoy this indulgence only occasionally and focus on more nutritious foods in your daily diet. With sensible portions and healthier ingredients, pizza can still have a place in an overall balanced eating plan.