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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