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On February 9th, pizza lovers across the country (including us) will come together to celebrate National Pizza Day. Then, just 5 days later, couples across the world will celebrate their love on Valentineās day. Have you ever seen a pizza emoji without being followed by a heart eyes emoji? ššĀ Stats show that 57% of Americans say they love pizza, and 50% celebrate Valentineās Day, so⦠Pizza-tineās Day (?) sounds like a win-win to us!
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If youāre a pizza lover, then you can thank the Italians who began creating them back in the early 1500s. Legend has it that in 1889 after the unification of Italy, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples. Tired of the French cuisine she usually ate, the Queen tried several pizzas, but āpizza mozzarellaā was her favorite. Its white cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil resembles the Italian flag and now bears her name as Margherita pizza.
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Itās hard to imagine that pizza wasnāt well-known outside of Italy until after World War II. But when Italian immigrants settled in New York, they continued to make their delicious flatbreads. They came to work in factories but actually made a substantial culinary impact on America. (Pizza is the #2 most popular fast food in the U.S.!)
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As we celebrate these holidays, here are a few fun facts you might not know:
šĀ Ā Valentineās Day was declared a holiday in 1537, right about when pizzas were created (Coincidence? We think not!)
šĀ Ā 30% of Americans eat pizza at least once a week
šĀ Ā 350 slices of pizza are sold every second in the U.S.
šĀ Ā Pepperoni and sausage dominate the favorite topping list, followed by (in order) mushrooms, bacon, onions, green peppers, black olives, Canadian bacon, and pineapple
šĀ Ā Speaking of pineapple, Canada has bragging rights to Hawaiian Pizza. Sam Panopolous relocated there from Greece and created the iconic pizza in 1962
šĀ Ā Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentineās Day in the U.S. (at least try to make yours a healthier dark chocolate version!)
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With Valentineās Day just around the corner, a romantic pizza party for two might just be the perfect date idea. Or if you canāt find a sitter, make it a family pizza night! Want to know the best part? With ZeroCarb LYFE crustsĀ not only can you indulge in pizza without worrying about carbs, but ZeroCarb crusts make it super easy for anyone to choose their favorite toppings. With a small V-cut, you could easily turn one into a heart-shaped treat! Who says youāre not romantic?
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Another way to celebrate National Pizza DayĀ is to have pizza for all 3 meals! Using ZeroCarb LYFE crusts, whip up a tasty breakfast pizza with eggs and sausage; make a lunchtime āza with shredded chicken and spinach; and dinner gets everyoneās favorite pepperoni (251 million pounds of pepperoni are sold each year, most of it served on pizza!).
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However you choose to celebrate, we can all agree that love makes the world go āround, and weāre here to spread the #ZeroCarbLYFE love far and wide! Do you have a ZeroCarb āloveā story? Weād love for you to submit a ZeroCarb LYFE TestimonialĀ and tell us all about it!