Antioxidants are really important for our long-term health. They help counteract free radical damage to the body, including to the skin and the joints. If you’re interested in ageing more gracefully, you definitely need to take a look at the amount of antioxidants in your diet.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are some of the best sources of antioxidants, but research by scientists at the University of Maryland has shown that the antioxidant levels in pizza can be boosted by increasing the baking temperature and the length of time that the pizza is cooked for. So a well-done pizza is likely to contain more antioxidants than a less well-done one.
Sadly people, including the media, tend to take information like this and conclude that a well-done pizza is a healthy food. The UK Guardian newspaper heading was ‘From Fast Food To Health Food: Pizza Gets A Makeover’. But the truth is pizzas are not the most healthy of foods, and though they are OK in moderation it’s much better to focus on getting antioxidants from fruit and vegetables.
