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How pizza is helping in the fight against childhood obesity

7 November 2018

According to research, 124m children around the world are too fat. The consumption of high-calorie foods is a key contributor to weight gain, so it might seem strange that pizza is being used in the battle against obesity.

Donnie Maclean, the founder of a company aiming to address obesity issues, revealed the severity of the situation on Personal Best.

Along with Professor Mike Lean of Glasgow University, Donnie has developed a recipe for a nutritionally balanced pizza.

A balanced pizza

Donnie Maclean reveals how he created a healthier pizza.

“We’re in a terrifying situation where, if childhood obesity continues at the rate that it’s currently increasing, this will be the first generation where the children don’t live as long as their parents.

“We investigated various Margherita pizzas and established what was wrong with them nutritionally, said Donnie. “Generally they were too high in salt, too high in saturated fat and too low in fibre.”

The duo then tweaked the recipes to make it more nutritionally balanced.

“We sought to bring down the salt by introducing highly nutritious Scottish seaweed as a replacement in the base, we increased the fibre by using a product called psyllium husk and we have more veg through the sauce as well.”

It’s a solution that could please parents and children alike — whether you want to mention the seaweed to the kids is entirely up to you.