Cheese pizza slice healthier than burger, stats show

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat

"Fast-food is a big part of our lives," said Linda Houtkooper, a UA and statewide nutritional specialist. "If you choose carefully you can make good choices."

Houtkooper told 30 people at "The Winning Edge: Nutrition for Fitness and Sports " workshop how to select a fast-food meal that has 30 percent or less of its calories from fat.

The day-long event in the University of Arizona's Arizona Health Sciences Center Teleconference Room was also broadcast via satellite to a similar workshop in Phoenix. Although health experts explored different nutrition and fitness issues, the underlying message was how to manage food intake.

The audience, comprised of dietitians, athletic personal trainers, physical therapists and nutritional sciences students, chose their favorite fast-food meals as part of Houtkooper's demonstration.

Burger King's Whopper, which boasts 640 calories per serving and 39 grams of fat, gets 55 percent of its calories from fat. A slice of Thin 'n' Crispy cheese pizza from Pizza Hut contains 210 calories and nine grams of fat - 36 percent of its calories coming from fat.

"It's scary. You don't realize how much fat there is," said Lindsay Kimball, a dietetics junior. "Pizza was exciting because going out to eat cheese pizza isn't so bad compared to a hamburger."

Houtkooper suggested that college students with unpredictable schedules spread out calorie intake.

"This way energy levels stay higher throughout the day," she said.

There have been some changes in the way fast-food restaurants boast the fat content of their food, Houtkooper said.

"I find some of these foods actually interesting," she said. "There has been a decrease in calorie and fat content because they have made smaller portion sizes."

It is possible for college students to have healthy eating habits, Houtkooper said.

"A lot of us in the nutrition and dietary program practice bringing our own food - you just have to plan in advance," Kimball said. "It's achievable, even though it's easy to fall into the trap at school."

Irene Hsiao can be reached via e-mail at Irene.Hsiao@wildcat.arizona.edu.