Just hearing about pizza makes your mouth water, right? But there's also a slight worry... it's a calorie bomb!

If you remove the cheese that adds calories to pizza, it's just 'bread + tomato sauce', but once the cheese is added, it suddenly becomes irresistible.

Why is pizza cheese so addictive?

1. It's because of casein!

   • It's a protein component found in cheese, which breaks down into a substance called casomorphin in the body.

   • You see the word 'morphin' in its name, right? Yes, that's right. It has a similar effect to the drug morphine.

   • It stimulates the release of dopamine (the happiness hormone) in the brain, so every time you eat, you feel "Ah... I'm so happy!"

2. The perfect harmony of savory and salty flavors

   • Cheese is a perfect combination of fat + protein + salt.

   • The brain really loves this combination. Instinctively, we are drawn to energy-dense foods.

3. The visual of stretching cheese... isn't that unfair?

   • When you take a bite of that hot pizza, the cheese stretches!

   • This immediately triggers a reward response in the brain. 'Ah, this is really good!' and it gets stored away.

4. The texture that melts smoothly in your mouth

   • The creamy and smoothly melting sensation itself stimulates happiness in the mouth.

   • The brain keeps shouting, "Give me more, give me more!"

How many calories are in a pizza from the U.S.?

• Based on chain stores like Domino's and Papa John's

  • Large size (14 inches, 8 slices)
    → One pizza has about 2,000~3,000 kcal.
    → Each slice has between 250~400 kcal. (It varies by topping. Pepperoni or cheese bombs can be much higher.)

• Chicago deep-dish pizza?

  • This is truly a heavyweight.
    → One slice can have 500~800 kcal.

What is the recommended daily intake for adults?

• Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake for adults

  • Men: 2,000~2,500 kcal

  • Women: 1,600~2,000 kcal

If you eat a whole pizza by yourself, your daily calorie intake is just gone. In severe cases, you might exceed it.
So realistically...

• Men: 2~3 slices

• Women: 1~2 slices

This way, you can enjoy the taste and worry less about weight. (Of course, those who exercise a lot can eat a bit more!)

Eating pizza brings happiness, but afterwards, there's a bit of guilt!

But what is life anyway? Sometimes, just enjoy 3 slices and then take a light walk for an hour the next day!