A lot of people love pizza, a guilty pleasure that is usually full of fat, refined carbohydrates, and sodium. However, at Don Peppe pizzeria, some lucky diners had the chance to try a unique “life-prolonging” pizza.
The Pizza Pascalina was served to eager customers at the Napoli Pizza Village last June. It was a dish created using findings from a study conducted by the Naples Fondazione Pascale Institute of Tumors.
The research involved experts from various fields who formed an impressive network of caterers, consumers, producers, and researchers. The network worked towards one goal: Safeguarding public health by “spreading healthy food habits including eating pizza.”
The one-of-a-kind pizza served at Don Peppe could help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, along with some types of digestive system tumors like rectal cancer.
Ingredients for the life-prolonging pizza
The life-prolonging pizza served at Don Peppe was made using the following “perfect” ingredients:
Olives
Olives are rich in vitamin E and other potent antioxidants. They are also good for heart health, and can also help prevent cancer and osteoporosis. Additionally, olives have calcium, copper, and iron.
Extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil contains monounsaturated oleic acid, a fatty acid that has various health benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants that have potent biological effects. It also has nutrients, like oleic acid and the antioxidant oleocanthal, that can prevent inflammation. Unlike other oils, olive oil isn’t linked to weight gain. In fact, it can even be beneficial for weight loss.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C and other antioxidants. Vitamin C and some antioxidants can help prevent the formation of free radicals that can cause cancer. Tomatoes also have choline, fiber, and potassium that can boost heart health.
Chili pepper
Chilies can help prevent stomach ulcers, and red hot chili peppers can eliminate bacteria. Chili peppers also have capsaicin, which can kill bacteria like Helicobacter pylori, and it can help treat inflammatory bowel diseases.
Garlic
Low in calories, garlic is full of manganese and vitamins B6 and C. It also contains other nutrients. Garlic can also help fight infectious diseases, most of which are common causes of death among the elderly or people with weak immune systems.
Raw broccoli
Raw broccoli has at least 90 percent water, seven percent carbs, and three percent protein. The cruciferous vegetable contains almost no fat.
Wheat flour
Whole grains contain nutrients that can help lower the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack.
The Napoli Pizza Village organizers reported that the Pizza Pascalina can be eaten at least twice a week since it was made using ingredients with various health benefits.
The Pizza Pascalina was also included in the Pascaliana Food Pyramid (Piramide Alimentare Pascaliana), which is based on principles of a Mediterranean diet, along with the World Cancer Research Fund cancer control recommendations. The food pyramid was also formulated using data from the latest research on diets and cancer prevention.
Lucky customers were able to try the “life-prolonging” pizza at the Napoli Pizza Village’s pavilion of Don Peppe, one of the 50 pizzerias that visited Naples last June.
