The nutritional standards for school meals set by the government are so poor that one could serve up McDonalds every day and pass the minimum requirements with flying colours.

Although officials have known for years what a bad meal deal kids are getting, it has taken the heroic efforts of a celebrity chef and a forthcoming election to get some promised improvements.

Jamie Oliver cant be in all places at once, but we do need him in our restaurants. Last year, the Food Commission flagged up that kids restaurant meals are worse than school dinners.

One can only wonder at how bad things could possibly get. Meals in popular restaurants tend to be excessively processed and contain high levels of unhealthy fats, salt and sugar.

The stuff that children should be made of, such as vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, quality protein and fibre are hard to find on a plate of chips, nuggets and soggy peas.

There may be little point in worrying about the occasional restaurant meal when your children eat well at home.

Still, it would come as such a welcome surprise to find fast food that is actually good for us but is there such a thing?

Steve Brunton, the owner of Pizzaiola (142 Mackie Avenue, Patcham, Brighton), is proud of his healthy takeaway pizzas and tasty garden salads.

Each pizza base is made daily with fresh dough, spread with an original home-made tomato sauce and piled high with a variety of fresh vegetables and meat or fish toppings.

Impressed with his emphasis on quality ingredients, I challenged him to create a range of tasty pizzas for those clients suffering from food allergies and intolerances.

Pizza bases are made from wheat, but many people find wheat difficult to digest and experience bouts of indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, pain or bloating. One reason may be the way modern wheat products are made with bread improvers, enzymes, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, partially hydrogenated oils and high amounts of yeast.

Our consumption of wheat in its different forms (bread, pasta, pizza, biscuits, pastry, pasta, sauces) is high because we eat it most meal times.

An increasing number of people also react to gluten, a sticky protein found in wheat as well as rye, barley and oats.

Gluten irritates and may damage the lining of the small intestine, greatly reducing its ability to absorb nutrients from food.

According to the Coeliac Society, the incidence of those suffering severe adverse reactions to gluten may be as high as one in a hundred people in the UK. Others may have a milder form of gluten intolerance which prevents them from ordering standard takeaway pizzas.

Steve managed to come up with a tasty gluten-free pizza base. On request, he can also supply yeast-free, tomato-free and dairy-free pizzas. You can contact Steve at Pizzaiola on 01273 330044 after 4pm, 7 days a week.