Functional
Foods for Health:
A Possible Pathway to Avoiding Disease
If you think
about that doughnut you had for breakfast or the chips you
ate for lunch, you may feel guilty about consuming “empty
calories.” It is true that what we call junk food is
not especially healthy, but it does have a function in the
body. Even a cookie or a candy bar is functional, providing
calories for energy and perhaps a little protein if there
are peanuts in the mix. Within the field of health food manufacturing,
however, functional foods are a completely different animal.
The standard definition of functional foods for health is:
foods or beverages that provide health benefits beyond what
is needed for survival. To provide additional “function”
to food, functional foods for health are fortified and designed
to promote the best possible health effects while reducing
the risk of disease.
Examples
of functional foods for health can be found throughout the
supermarket. Functional foods for health may be fortified,
enriched, and enhanced with ingredients that provide specific
health benefits. For example, antioxidants have become a major
player in functional foods for health. Antioxidants come from
plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Research
has shown that antioxidants reverse the damaging effects of
oxygen, or oxidation, on the body. (As a real-life comparison,
oxidation is what causes rust on exposed metal.) Functional
foods for health with antioxidants would isolate certain antioxidants
that have been shown to prevent disease and, in some cases,
add a concentrated form of the antioxidant to food. For instance,
the deep red color in tomatoes comes from an antioxidant called
lycopene, which is being studied for its promise in preventing
heart disease and cancer.
One day,
functional foods for health may be designed for individuals
and groups to prevent illness in people with a disease-prone
genetic makeup. In other words, functional foods for health
in the future may be able to help you if you were born with
a tendency to have certain diseases like cancer, diabetes,
and heart disease. You may also see functional foods for health
that will give you increased energy and younger-looking skin.
Perhaps then you won’t have to feel bad about eating
antioxidant-rich dark chocolate or snack chips made from whole
fruits and vegetables.
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