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02/07/2012
'Nutritional' Pizza Developed
A 'healthy pizza' has been created by a Scottish nutritionist and an entrepreneur.
The so called nutritionally balanced pizzas contain 30% of an adult's guideline daily amount of vitamins and minerals.
Mike Lean, of Glasgow University, and businessman Donnie Maclean say the convenience food was developed out of frustration.
Professor Lean told the BBC: "If you go along to a supermarket or a restaurant and buy a meal, then somebody should have thought about it nutritionally.
"We've recently studied ready meals produced by the top five supermarkets in Scotland - common foods eaten in huge numbers - and they're hopelessly unbalanced.
"They contain as much salt as you should have in a whole day or more. They contain as much saturated fat as you should have in a whole day or more. The nutrients we need every day are absent from these meals. Nobody has thought about it. So I got together with Donnie to try to do this."
He continued: "I researched the market and found that seaweed was an interesting new ingredient being used in artisan bread.
"So we used that as a way of reducing the salt level. The sodium content of seaweed is about 3.5% compared to 40% in salt. There's iodine in there, vitamin B12, all sorts of things. And the flavour is excellent as well."
Red pepper is mixed in with the tomato base to give the pizza extra vitamin C. As well as these nutrients, each pizza contains magnesium, potassium, folates and vitamin A.
"The way the guidelines are set out, you have 20% of your nutrients and calories from your breakfast, 30% from your lunch, 30% from your dinner, and an extra 20% for snacks," said Mr Maclean, the founder of Eat Balanced.
"We focused on pizza being a lunch or a dinner option. Each pizza gives a complete meal, with all the nutrients in it, for 30% of your day."
"For a good number of years I have been trying to help people find easy ways to get a balanced diet," said Prof Lean, who is also a consultant physician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
"The easiest way to do that is to eat nutritionally balanced meals. Three of those a day and you've done it, but at the moment commercially prepared meals are not nutritionally balanced. "
A major supermarket has signed up to stock the pizza while Mr Maclean is in talks with other supermarkets and catering suppliers. The duo now plan to create nutritionally balanced favourites like curry and fish and chips.
(GK)
The so called nutritionally balanced pizzas contain 30% of an adult's guideline daily amount of vitamins and minerals.
Mike Lean, of Glasgow University, and businessman Donnie Maclean say the convenience food was developed out of frustration.
Professor Lean told the BBC: "If you go along to a supermarket or a restaurant and buy a meal, then somebody should have thought about it nutritionally.
"We've recently studied ready meals produced by the top five supermarkets in Scotland - common foods eaten in huge numbers - and they're hopelessly unbalanced.
"They contain as much salt as you should have in a whole day or more. They contain as much saturated fat as you should have in a whole day or more. The nutrients we need every day are absent from these meals. Nobody has thought about it. So I got together with Donnie to try to do this."
He continued: "I researched the market and found that seaweed was an interesting new ingredient being used in artisan bread.
"So we used that as a way of reducing the salt level. The sodium content of seaweed is about 3.5% compared to 40% in salt. There's iodine in there, vitamin B12, all sorts of things. And the flavour is excellent as well."
Red pepper is mixed in with the tomato base to give the pizza extra vitamin C. As well as these nutrients, each pizza contains magnesium, potassium, folates and vitamin A.
"The way the guidelines are set out, you have 20% of your nutrients and calories from your breakfast, 30% from your lunch, 30% from your dinner, and an extra 20% for snacks," said Mr Maclean, the founder of Eat Balanced.
"We focused on pizza being a lunch or a dinner option. Each pizza gives a complete meal, with all the nutrients in it, for 30% of your day."
"For a good number of years I have been trying to help people find easy ways to get a balanced diet," said Prof Lean, who is also a consultant physician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
"The easiest way to do that is to eat nutritionally balanced meals. Three of those a day and you've done it, but at the moment commercially prepared meals are not nutritionally balanced. "
A major supermarket has signed up to stock the pizza while Mr Maclean is in talks with other supermarkets and catering suppliers. The duo now plan to create nutritionally balanced favourites like curry and fish and chips.
(GK)
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