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 FoodsBeta-carotene

Lycopene

Omega-3 fatty acids

Flavonoids

Phenols

Isoflavones

All are Phytochemicals

Class/Components Examples of Food Source

Potential Benefit

Lycopene Tomatoes & watermelon

Reduces risk of some cancers

Lutein &

Zeaxanthin

Kale, collards, spinach, corn, eggs

Helps maintain healthy vision

Whole grains 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

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.