Functional Foods The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service Functional Foods Outline • What are functional foods? • What do we get from them? • Which foods are functional foods? • How to use them Functional Foods • Foods that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Functional foods may be: • Whole Foods • Enriched Foods • Fortified Foods • Enhanced Foods In Whole Foods Beta-carotene Lycopene Omega-3 fatty acids Flavonoids Phenols Isoflavones All are Phytochemicals Class/Components Examples of Food Potential Benefit Source Lycopene Tomatoes & watermelon Lutein & Zeaxanthin Whole grains Kale, collards, Helps maintain spinach, corn, eggs healthy vision Cereal grains Reduce risk for CHD and cancer Beta-carotene Carrots, many fruits Helps antioxidant defenses Insoluble Fiber Wheat Bran Maintains a healthy GI tract Reduces risk of some cancers Enriched Foods • Enriched foods have nutrients added back. • Grain enrichment nutrients include: – – – – – Iron Thiamin Riboflavin Niacin Folate Fortified Foods • Fortified foods: have nutrients added that may not have been present in the original food. • Examples: – Milk & margarine: vitamin A – Orange Juice: calcium – Some breakfast cereals Enhanced Foods • Foods that have ingredients added that are not vitamins and minerals • Examples – – Soup and teas with added herbs – Cereal with added psyllium – Margarine with added plant sterol/stanol esters Supplementary Products • These can be: – – – – Milk or juice based drinks Fortified desserts Energy and/or protein supplements Vitamin or mineral supplements FDA Approved Food Claims • Calcium and osteoporosis • Sodium and high blood pressure • Saturated fat and cholesterol and cardiovascular disease • Fiber in grains, fruits and vegetables and heart disease and cancer • Fruits and vegetables and cancer • Folate and neural tube defects in babies Industry Requested Food Claims • Sugar alcohols and dental decay • Oats and heart disease • Foods containing psyllium fiber and heart disease • Soy protein and heart disease • Plant sterol/stanol esters and heart disease Not all claims are approved by the FDA • May just describe a function or structure of a food or an ingredient – “Vitamin E is an antioxidant.” • Cannot make a claim about preventing or controlling a disease • On label, will say not approved by FDA. Functional Foods are Not Magic • Can even be dangerous – – – – Cause allergies Drug interactions Drowsiness Unknown amount and effect • Not a substitute for real food • Not superior to a balanced diet or regular medical treatment Summary • Functional foods are simply foods that have added nutritional benefits. • To be safe, only use function foods that have FDA approved claims. • Do not use functional foods to replace a balanced diet or regular medical treatment. True or False? • All functional foods are approved by the FDA. • Functional foods can be natural and fortified foods. • It is OK to replace prescribed medicines with functional foods.