The term “functional foods” appeared in Japan in the 1980s. At that time, the fashion for multivitamins in the country began to wane because nutritionists had the idea of adding them to regular food. That’s how they came up with fortified breakfast cereals, iodized salt, and other fortified foods. We’ll tell you if they’re really that healthy.
Let’s understand the concepts
The human body needs nutrients to survive. They are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which are needed in large quantities. For example, with an average daily requirement of 2,000 kcal, carbohydrates account for approximately 1,000 kcal, proteins for 600 kcal, and fats for 400 kcal.
Micronutrients are nutrients that humans need in smaller quantities – in milligrams and micrograms. They are divided into two large groups: vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins are organic compounds that plants and animals produce themselves. Humans can synthesize only one vitamin – vitamin D. We get the rest from food. For example, vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, and different types of cabbage. Vitamin K is found in lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and soy. Sources of vitamin A are orange fruits and vegetables, eggs, liver, and milk.
Minerals are inorganic compounds found in water and soil. Unlike vitamins, which are easily broken down by temperature, air, and sunlight, minerals are stable compounds. From water and soil, they enter the bodies of plants and animals and accumulate there. Therefore, we also get minerals from food.
Minerals, in turn, are divided into macroelements and microelements. A mineral is considered a macroelement if it is contained in the human body in an amount of 0.01% or more. For example, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium are considered macroelements.
Microelements are contained in the human body in quantities of 0.001% or less. For example, iron, iodine, selenium, fluorine, zinc.
What are functional foods?
Functional foods are foods that contain not only proteins, fats or carbohydrates, but also a significant amount of micronutrients. In other words, these are foods that are especially rich in vitamins and minerals. They can be divided into two groups. The first are foods that have artificially added micronutrients:
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juices enriched with vitamins and minerals;
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fortified milk, including plant milk ;
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fermented milk products with vitamins and high protein content;
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eggs with selenium and iodine;
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fortified breakfast cereals;
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bars and sweets with vitamins, minerals, fiber.
Why do we need fiber?
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our body cannot digest, that is, break down into sugar molecules. Fiber is found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. Oatmeal, leafy salads, chia seeds, lentils, apples, and blueberries are especially rich in fiber.
Fiber gives a feeling of satiety, promotes proper digestion, and helps maintain normal glucose and cholesterol levels.
An adult needs to eat 25-35 grams of fiber per day. However, this is not always possible. In America, for example, people on average consume no more than 15 grams of fiber per day.
The second group of functional food includes regular, non-enriched foods that contain especially many healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals. For example, everyone has heard of avocado, which is rich in healthy fats and sodium. Or chia seeds – a plant source of protein, fiber, vitamins and fatty acids. But in fact, the list of functional products is much wider. For example, functional products can be called :
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fruits: berries, kiwi, pears, peaches, apples, oranges, bananas;
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vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini;
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nuts: almonds, cashews, pistachios, macadamia, Brazil nuts;
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chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds;
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legumes: black beans, chickpeas, navy beans, lentils;
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whole grains: oats, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, couscous;
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seafood: salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, cod;
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fermented foods: tempeh, kombucha, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut;
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herbs and spices: turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper;
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drinks: coffee, green tea, black tea.
What are healthy fats
Normally, about 20-35% of the energy received daily should come from fats. They are needed to create cell membranes, participate in the functioning of the nervous system, and facilitate the absorption of some vitamins. There are several types of fats.
Unsaturated fats are healthy fats found in vegetable oils, nuts, fish, avocados. They should account for ⅔ of the total amount of fat consumed.
Saturated fats are found in meat, dairy products, coconut and palm oils. They are allowed in the diet in limited quantities – no more than ⅓ of the total volume of fat consumed.
Trans fats are “bad” fats that are artificially created. They are found in industrially produced products: factory-made sweets, fast food. It is better to exclude them from the diet completely, because they are harmful to health even in small quantities.
What are the benefits of functional foods?
Reduce the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies
The more varied a person’s diet, the less likely it is that he or she will lack vitamins and minerals. However, it is not always possible to get the necessary micronutrients from food. For example, not everyone can afford a varied diet for financial reasons or because they live in a harsh climate where there are few fresh vegetables and fruits. There are also people who exclude entire groups of products for health reasons or because of their beliefs.
To avoid health problems, some countries have decided to enrich products with especially important vitamins and minerals. For example, according to WHO recommendations, iodized salt is sold around the world , which is a preventative measure against thyroid diseases. In the UK, in 2021, they began to enrich wheat flour with folic acid, which is especially important in the early stages of pregnancy. In Jordan, iron is added to flour, which has almost halved iron deficiency anemia in children.
Protect against some diseases
Many natural functional foods (such as berries, different types of cabbage, tea) are rich in antioxidants. These are molecules that can neutralize harmful compounds called free radicals. This prevents cell damage and reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Functional foods also include certain types of fish, avocados, nuts, and chia seeds, which are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These healthy fats reduce inflammation, improve brain function, and promote heart health.
Functional foods also include foods high in fiber, which helps improve blood sugar control and protects against diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Fiber can also prevent digestive disorders.
Helping children grow up healthy
Many micronutrients are especially important in childhood for proper growth and development. However, children are often picky, refuse to try new things, and eat only a limited set of their favorite foods. Therefore, a significant portion of artificially enriched foods are intended for children. For example, calcium, zinc, B vitamins, vitamins C and D, and other important micronutrients are often added to baby milk, juices, cookies, breakfast cereals, and sweets. This helps prevent possible deficiencies in children who do not like vegetables, fruits, or other foods.
When Functional Nutrition Becomes Harmful
Vitamin supplements can be misleading
For manufacturers, the fashion for fortified products is a working way to increase sales. It is enough to add vitamins and minerals to cereal, gummies, juice or even plain water – and this attracts buyers. The example about water is not accidental: there is so-called vitaminized water, to which, in addition to vitamins, sugar is added (two teaspoons per glass!). People like the sweet taste and the feeling that they are drinking something “healthy”.
But as much as we’d like to believe it, added vitamin C doesn’t make gummy bears a healthy food. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends reading the labels of functional foods carefully. That’s because many of them contain significant amounts of salt and sugar, which they recommend keeping in check. While fortified foods can be part of a healthy diet, it’s best to stick to minimally processed foods like fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
It is possible to overdo it with micronutrients
With vitamins and minerals, the principle of “the more, the better” does not work. For example, an overdose of vitamin C can cause nausea, diarrhea, and indigestion. And excessive selenium intake provokes hair loss and chronic fatigue.
It is unlikely that you will get too many useful substances if you eat too many oranges or cabbage. However, you can easily overdo it with vitamins and minerals if you have fortified cereals for breakfast, drink “functional” juice for lunch, snack on a protein bar, and drink a vitamin supplement after dinner. To avoid this, consider the daily requirement for each micronutrient and do not rely on fortified foods.
Nutrition becomes unbalanced
This can happen even if you prefer natural functional foods rather than fortified ones. For example, nuts, chia pudding or hummus seem healthy to us. As a result, you may be tempted to eat more of them or even when you don’t want to. While a healthy balanced diet involves eating when you’re hungry and consuming all food groups, including “regular” grains, fish, meat or plant-based protein sources, vegetables and fruits.
What’s the bottom line?
Functional products are a working way to solve the problem of micronutrient deficiency at the state level. Thus, in Russia and many other countries, vitamins and minerals are added to salt, flour, milk, and juices. This helps even those who do not want or cannot afford to lead a healthy lifestyle to eat better.
Another story is the popular “healthy” bars, cereals, yogurts and other fortified foods sold in supermarkets. They can be part of a healthy diet. However, you need to be moderate and read the labels carefully. Such products may contain too much sugar or salt.
In most cases, it is worth giving preference to minimally processed foods and trying to eat a varied and balanced diet. If you suspect that you have a deficiency of some micronutrient, consult a general practitioner. Most likely, he will advise you to take tests and, based on their results, tell you how to adjust your diet. Or prescribe medications with minerals and vitamins, if necessary.