What are Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals?
Functional foods are foods that offer unique health benefits that go beyond simply meeting basic nutrient needs. Many also help to reduce the risk of chronic disease. Functional foods contain what nutrition researchers call “bioactive compounds,” or naturally occurring chemicals that act on our bodies. It is these bioactive compounds that offer the health and wellness benefits that have been linked to functional foods. What are some examples of functional foods? Many of the foods we enjoy on a daily basis contain bioactive compounds and are considered functional foods. Vegetables and fruits such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and cantaloupe contain a compound called beta-carotene which helps to prevent damage to our cells and may decrease the risk for certain types of cancer. Tomatoes and processed tomato products (e.g. ketchup, tomato sauces, and salsa), watermelon, red/pink grapefruit contain a compound called lycopene that has been linked to a decreased risk for prostate cancer
There is no universally accepted term for functional foods and nutraceuticals. According to Health Canada (Section 2.2) A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food that is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, i.e. they contain bioactive compound. A nutraceutical is a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with foods. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease.
