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:
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–
–
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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
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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.