Let\u2019s start with what a functional food (AKA nutraceutical) is: by definition, this is a food that has been enriched with nutrients or substances to provide additional benefits above its basic nutritional value.<\/p>\n
For example, many foods have added: probiotics (good bacteria), prebiotics (food to feed your naturally occurring good bacteria), plant sterols & stanols (added to foods to help reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol) or vitamins\/minerals.<\/p>\n
As a general rule of thumb, you want to obtain the majority of your macro and micronutrients from whole complete foods sources with a diverse diet. However, there are circumstances where functional foods can be a great addition. For example, if you\u2019re replacing cow\u2019s milk with a plant-based alternative, you want to mimic the ingredients you are missing out on such as calcium, iodine and smaller levels of B vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins.<\/p>\n
This will make your plant-based alternative a functional food. We also know there are certain people who may benefit from the addition of probiotic enriched foods, for example.<\/p>\n
Functional foods certainly do exist – but beware of their marketing! These foods often need to be taken at a specific dose to see a benefit. They aren\u2019t a \u201csuperfood\u201d, and they are certainly not a medicine! Whilst they can provide health benefits and be a useful addition for some people, it\u2019s important to remember that functional foods aren\u2019t the quick fix to health problems and shouldn\u2019t be seen as an alternative to a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Let\u2019s start with what a functional food (AKA nutraceutical) is: by definition, this is a food that has been enriched with nutrients or substances to provide additional benefits above its basic nutritional value. For example, many foods have added: probiotics (good bacteria), prebiotics (food to feed your naturally occurring good bacteria), plant sterols & stanols…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition","category-myth-busting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n