Hey there, viewers! I’m about to drop a bomb on you. That pepperoni pizza you’ve been eating…
It’s unhealthy for you. And the ‘pepperoni’ part makes a huge difference.
Pepperoni is a form of salami made from cured pork. It often has a spicy kick to it. While it
remains one of the more popular processed meats around, there are several negative effects it has
on your health. Let’s talk about What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Pepperoni Every Day.
Can it cause heart disease? How much saturated fat is in one slice? Does my cholesterol skyrocket?
Wait, are there healthy benefits? We’re talking about all that AND more…
Increased Risk of Heart Disease
We’re starting off on a pretty tough note. Nobody wants to hear that this beloved pizza
topping can bring on a heart attack or stroke. But it’s just the reality folks. Not only is
pepperoni unhealthy, people underestimate the amount of power in a single slice.
Pepperoni is LOADED with sodium. I’m talking JAM-PACKED. Just one slice has close to 100 mg.
For the record, adults are suggested to have no more than 2300 mg of sodium per day. Here’s where
it gets wild... The average American is estimated to consume 3400 mg a day! That’s a big red flag,
people! Especially when heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world.
If you think the amount of sodium in one slice is bad, just imagine how much you’re having in
a single slice of pizza! The average slice of pepperoni pizza holds 683 mg of sodium.
That’s 30% of your suggested daily intake. Most people have more than one slice with a meal.
During dinner, you very well could be eating twice your daily intake of sodium.
For many people, pizza is a daily meal. It’s relatively cheap and easy to get.
My neighborhood alone has like 5 pizza places.
Scarfing down pepperoni pizza each day, ain’t a good look. With all that sodium,
the plaque in your arteries will build up. This increases your blood pressure,
as your heart will have to work much harder to pump blood. But more on that
a little later. If you’re one of those daily pepperoni eaters, I would cut it out ASAP.
What’s your favorite type of pizza? Are you a regular pepperoni person?
Maybe just plain cheese? How about the infamous pineapple pizza?
Sound off in the comment section and start a conversation with our Bestie community...
Weight Gain
Sodium is not the only harmful ingredient in pepperoni. It’s also full of calories
and saturated fats. A single ounce of pepperoni has over 12 grams of fat,
4 grams of which are saturated. That’s over 23% of your daily intake.
Depending on how much pepperoni you’re eating, you’re going to receive a fat
overload. Think about it, the average pizza pie holds 20 to 30 slices of pepperoni.
While there’s no set rule for how many pepperonis you should put on one slice,
let’s just say you're going to be eating a lot of saturated fat.
Saturated fat usually comes from animal products.
At room temperature, it’s generally thick and wax-like.
If there’s six slices of pepperoni on one slice, you could be getting 24%
of your daily saturated fat intake. Not to mention all the extra fat from the pizza slice.
This type of everyday diet will definitely make you shoot up in weight class.
Just an FYI, you’re supposed to get 20 to 35% of your daily calories from fat. That’s between
44 to 77 grams a day. Of that amount, less than 10% of those fats should be saturated.
Of course, pizza is not the only pepperoni food you should be cautious of.
We haven’t even touched on pepperoni sticks yet. This snack is a favorite among both
kids and adults. Well if you’re health conscious, brace yourself for bad news.
The average pepperoni stick holds about 13 grams of fat. In that, almost 6 grams are saturated.
Pepperoni sticks are a staple of children on lunch, and adults on the go. It’s not
uncommon to have two or three in a day. If this is a habit you’ve picked up,
I’d be worried about unwanted weight gain. You also have a truckload of sodium to worry about.
Before we continue, are you looking to get in shape? Well you need to change your diet?
Check out our video on what eating beans and legumes every day does to your body.
Now back to our discussion on the effects of eating pepperoni.
High Cholesterol
A regular pepperoni diet will have a pretty big impact on your LDL.
This is the science term for bad cholesterol. It’s all thanks to our friend saturated fats.
Too much saturated fat in your diet is directly linked to an increase in bad
cholesterol in your blood. For the longest time, bad cholesterol was mostly associated with eggs.
Little did we know that was overhyped. The real threat is foods like pepperoni.
Let’s go back to pepperoni sticks for a minute.
If you’ve been paying attention, you probably hate hearing about them at this point.
Just one pepperoni stick has about 15% of your daily cholesterol. That’s equal to
around 45 mg. It’s recommended that you eat no more than 300 mg of cholesterol a day.
With the amount of saturated fat you’re also having with that stick, you’re just asking
for higher LDL. Saying that bad cholesterol is a problem would be a massive understatement.
Almost 100 million adults in the U.S. have cholesterol levels higher than healthy amounts.
Bad cholesterol is just another thing that leads to serious heart problems.
The worse your cholesterol is, the greater chance you have of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
You don’t realize this, but with every pizza meal you eat, your cholesterol
level skyrockets. Especially if you have a whole bunch of saturated meat as toppings.
If you’re eating pepperoni every day, this is another reason to cut back hard.
Protein Overload
While this is a slightly positive entry, you still need to be cautious. Sure,
pepperoni has a lot of protein. A stick is around 10 grams. Just so you know, adult men
are recommended around 56 grams of protein per day. As for adult women, just about 46.
Protein is a building block for so many things in your body. Not only does it allow you to build
muscle and strength, it can assist with weight loss. It keeps you full for longer periods of
time, curbing your cravings. Protein will also maintain your bones and lower blood pressure.
But being as pepperoni is so full of fat, the protein is kind of useless.
I mean sure, the protein can help you build muscle,
but all the saturated fat and sodium will cause you to gain weight. I know a whole lot of people
who eat pepperoni sticks every day. I don’t know any who are doing it solely for the protein.
If you want some healthy meat with decent protein,
your best off having things like turkey and chicken breast.
While there is a higher amount of cholesterol and sodium in these choices, you’re getting fewer
carbs and saturated fats. The protein intake for a medium chicken breast is over 50 grams.
High Blood Pressure
This is one of the freakier effects of eating pepperoni every day.
We need to talk about hypertension. This is a fancy word for high blood pressure.
Too much pepperoni in your diet will lead to hypertension without question.
Your blood pressure refers to the pressure of your blood pushing up against your artery walls.
Your arteries carry blood from the heart to the other parts of your body. When these arteries
are obstructed, the heart will have to work harder. This process only leads to heart disease.
As of 2018, nearly half a million deaths in the U.S. included high blood pressure as a cause.
For those of you who are hooked on pepperoni, this should scare you.
Again, there’s just so much sodium in this meat. Just one of your favorite
pepperoni sticks carries 710 mg. That’s well over 30% of your suggested daily intake.
If you’re looking for a new meat that will lower your blood pressure, try lean beef. Studies have
found that it really can benefit your heart. It’s a terrific source of protein, and tastes
even better when served with cooked veggies. To all the pepperoni lovers out there, this doesn’t
mean you need to drop your favorite snack as a whole. Just try eating it a couple times a week.
Processed meat might be delicious, but it’s bad for you.
There are so many healthier foods you can eat. Have I sparked your interest?
Let's keep the conversation going with a couple more videos, shall we?
Check out the 50 Healthiest Foods That You Should Eat On the Regular.
What about the 12 Healthiest Foods You Should Eat In the Morning?
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both. Learn more about foods that
make your body healthier. Do you eat a lot of pepperoni? Let us know in the comments below!