It sounds too good to be true… In news that will make carb-lovers up and down the land cheer, scientists and chefs in Italy have created a pizza that they say can prevent cancer and heart disease.
How to make a healthy pizza
However, there is a catch – this miraculous meal is lacking in both cheese and meat. What it does have in abundance, are Mediterranean ingredients with known health benefits, including olives, tomatoes and a type of broccoli called rapini. It’s made from a wheat flour base, and also includes extra virgin olive oil, garlic and chilli.
Known as the Pizza Pascala, it’s been designed by scientists in Naples, and is known as the ‘anti-tumour’ pizza, thanks to its healthy ingredients.
More good news for pizza enthusiasts, its developers say it’s a health enough meal to eat twice a week.
The ingredients were chosen for their ability to reduce the risk of certain cancers in the digestive system (including bowel cancer) as well as cardiovascular disease. Research last year showed that tomatoes can slow the growth of stomach cancer (thanks to their antioxidant lycopene) while experts have advised eating inline with the Mediterranean diet for years, because of its emphasis on fruit, vegetables, fish and healthy fats.
The pizza, designed by scientists at the Instituto Nazionale Tumori in Naples, will be on sale during a pizza festival in the city this week – here’s hoping it inspires a copycat version at Pizza Express!
How to make your diet more Mediterranean
- Eat mostly plant-based foods including legumes, nuts, fruit and veg
- Eat starchy food including bread and pasta
- Add fish into your diet
- Use high quality olive oil as a dressing
- Cut down on dairy
- Cut down on meat
- Using herbs and spices in place of salt
Find out more health news in the latest issue of Top Sante!
