Time to curb pizza eating habits?

Is it time to curb your kids’ pizza eating habits?

A new study says one in five kids eats pizza any given day and there are some negative effects to eating too much of the cheesy favorite.

Pizza is thought by many to be accessible, cheap and delicious.

“Once you eat it … you don’t care what’s in it or not,” Canutillo High School student Alejandra De La Serda said.

A recent study by the Illinois Prevention Research Center focused on youth ages 2 through 19 between 2003 and 2010. The study found that pizza is the second highest energy source consumed by adolescents, behind desserts. Teenagers take in an extra 230 calories, 5 grams of fat and 484 milligrams of sodium on days they ate pizza, according to the study.

“I’m not surprised whatsoever. I think kids do eat too much pizza and they don’t pay attention to much of the health facts that are involved with it,” Canutillo High School student Daniel Cisneros said.

Here’s some tips ABC-7 learned while researching the study:

Don’t always pair pizza with a sugary, carbonated drink.
Consider whole wheat and gluten-free options.
Dab the pizza with a napkin to get excess grease off.
Load pizza with veggies instead of meat.
Skip delivery, carry-out or fast food pizza.

“Throw a whole grain tortilla together with some tomato sauce and light amount of natural cheese,” nutritionist Rachel Beller told ABC News. “It can be fast, it can be easy, it can be inexpensive and it can be healthy for your kids and their waist lines.”

While comparing local school district menus, ABC-7 found the number of times pizza is offered varies from four to 12 times per month. Eating too much pizza can lead to health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity, according to the study.

Researchers suggest eating pizza less often, improving nutritional content and addressing consumption during nutritional counseling.

To read the full study, click here.