Turning vegetarian for most people means cutting out the meat and bulking up on the vegetables, but for 38-year-old Dan Janssen it meant eating pizza, and only pizza.
Annapolis: Turning vegetarian for most people means cutting out the meat and bulking up on the vegetables, but for 38-year-old Dan Janssen it meant eating pizza, and only pizza.
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Keeping things simple: Dan Janssen lives on nothing but cheese pizza
He made the decision to become a vegetarian for ‘ethical reasons’ as teenager, but also hates vegetables and so has survived on a diet of exclusively cheese pizzas for the last 25 years.
He usually consumes two 14-inch pizzas every day washed down with coffee. While studying at Harvard University he even worked at Domino’s to feed his food addiction.
Mixing it up
To keep things varied, Janssen visits different pizza stores and buys frozen flat breads from a mix of brands.
“It’s like eating a completely different meal,” he added.
Other than a cheese and tomato topping, Janssen occasionally adds extra flavour with a sprinkling of oregano.
When Janssen tells people about his pizza-only diet, he usually gets one of two reactions. “I think I’m an anomaly. I don’t advocate this.”
The Maryland resident says his limited diet has not impacted on his love life.
Indeed, his now-fiancee even suggested they go for pizza on their first date after hearing about his tastes.
However, she is the reason he is now attempting to vary his diet.
Recently, he started seeing a nutritionist and therapist in a bid to conquer his food habit. “I do see a day in the future when I get a little more adventurous,” he concluded.