23
Apr
Some functional foods have real positive effects on our health but many others have such small supplements that it is virtually impossible for us to enjoy its benefits, know them and learn to distinguish them.
WHAT ARE FUNCTIONAL FOODS?
Functionalfoods are, according to the study of the Community of Madrid "Functionals, a new food approach", those foods that provide a beneficial effect on the environment. health beyond its basic nutritional value.
They do not constitute a group of foods as such, but derive from theaddition, replacement orelimination of certain components to regular foods, although a broad concept of functional foods includes not only manufactured products, but also some traditional foods (olive oil, tomatoes, legumes, etc.) that contain components with "other" health-promoting "other properties" that scientific advances are discovering, beyond those known from the classical nutritional point of view.
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A FUNCTIONAL DIET?
Once defined what we are talking about, the next question would be to ask ourselves if they are necessary in our diet, and going even further, if there are foods that are not functional, because really almost everything we put in our mouth would have beneficial effects on the body as long as we know how to maintain a certain moderation in their consumption.
Apples are great for health, but eating one kilogram of apples a day would result in a diet low in protein, fat and certain vitamins and minerals essential for life.
The Mediterranean diet, for example, has well known functional characteristics, from the healthy fats of olive oil, the polyphenols of red wine or the omega-3 fatty oils of blue fish, for example.
So, what's the problem? If we already take functional foods with our daily diet, why should we take more foods enriched with these nutrients?
There are two main reasons for this: on the one hand, the fact that part of our body's physiology - the result ofsocial evolution - has adopted unhealthy eating habits that can be counteracted by the consumption of functional foods.
On the other hand, and perhaps most importantly, because the social changes that have taken place in recent times - mainly the incorporation of women into work outside the home and the short time available to eat - have made our diet unbalanced and our food deficient.
NUTRACEUTICAL OR FUNCTIONAL?
We have often heard of functional and nutraceutical foods as if they were the same, when in fact they are not.
For experts, a nutraceutical food is a food that contains some food components, more or less isolated, but is not a food for ordinary consumption in the ordinary diet, but rather for temporary or sporadic use.
Nutraceuticals would be, for example, antioxidant vitamins or soy isoflavones presented in tablet form, while a functional food would be a product in its usual format (milk, bread, cereals, etc.) to which an ingredient (isoflavones or omega-3, for example) has been added or its composition has been changed.
The question is whether the arrival of these new products will not endanger traditional foods. And the answer is no, because many of the products we consume daily are functional or contain nutraceuticals naturally. This would be the case with olive oil, tomatoes or oily fish with a high content of omega-3 fatty acids.
That is why experts predict that the development of these techniques will not mean the disappearance of traditional foods as we know them today, even though the number of functional foods will probably double.
PREBIOTIC, PROBIOTIC AND SYMBIOTIC
These three terms are also interesting and we will examine them briefly below:
Prebiotic: is an undigestible food that improves health because it ferments in the colon and stimulates the growth or activity of a group of bacteria at that level, i.e. it acts as a nutrient for the intestinal flora so that the prebiotic can be considered the food of the gastrointestinal flora, because bifid-bacteria and lactobacilli feed on it. The prebiotic also serves as a nutrient for probiotics.
Probiotics: are microorganisms that survive normal digestion and reach the live colon, where they also have a positive effect on the health of the host. They restore the normal flora altered by various causes.
Symbiotic: it is a combination of pre and probiotic.
SELECTION OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Among the many functional foods currently on the market we can find treatments and solutions for a multitude of diseases and for almost all palates: in the table below, prepared by theOmega 3 Institute, you can see:
ENRICHED MILK
- With omega-3 fatty acids. They help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the risk of certain types of cancer and improve the development of nerve tissue and visual functions. They can reduce inflammatory processes.
- With oleic acid. They help to reduce blood cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- With folic acid. They can decrease neural tube malformations and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- With kick. It helps the development of bones and teeth. They are involved in nerve transmission and muscle movements. Can prevent osteoporosis
- With vitamins A and D. They promote visual function and calcium absorption respectively.
- With phosphorus and zinc. They help the development of bones and improve the immune system.
ENRICHED YOGHURT
- With kick.
- With vitamins A and D.
FERMENTED MILK
- With omega-3 fatty acids.
- With probiotic bacteria. They promote the functioning of the gastrointestinal system and reduce the incidence and duration of diarrhea. They improve the quality of the intestinal microflora.
FORTIFIED JUICES
With vitamins and minerals.
- Vitamins A and D: Support visual function and absorption
of football. - Calcium: Helps the development of bones and teeth.
- Iron: facilitates the transport of oxygen in the blood. They can prevent the onset of anemia.
FORTIFIED CEREALS
With fibres and minerals:
- Fiber: Helps reduce the risk of colon cancer. Improves the quality of intestinal microflora.
- Iron: facilitates the transport of oxygen in the blood. They can prevent the onset of anemia.
FORTIFIED BREAD
With folic acid. They can decrease neural tube malformations and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
ENRICHED EGGS
With omega-3 acids. Can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
ENRICHED MARGARINES
With phytosterols. They help to lower blood cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
IODATED SALT
With iodine. Iodine facilitates the production of thyroid hormones, essential for normal physical and psychological development and to prevent thyroid dysfunction.
ENERGY RODS
They are a great occasional resource as they are made with easily absorbable cereals and sugars that provide enough energy to avoid hypoglycemia and the appearance of fatigue before time.
Whole-grain fruit and cereals allow blood sugar to rise slowly to a lower glycemic index, making them an ideal snack before exercise.
On the other hand, in a small volume you get a correct energy contribution to ingestion before exercise, which together with the sugars, proteins and fats in their possession can provide nutrients in a sustained way during physical activity.
Despite all the benefits, it should be noted that the nutrients differ depending on the ingredients of each product and in some particular cases the fat content can be significantly increased and have trans fats (hydrogenated oil) that are harmful to health.
We must therefore consider the bars as a snack that cannot replace complete meals or be consumed in excess, because we would get a monotonous diet and an excess of protein if they were bars enriched with amino acids.
SPORT, A FUNCTIONAL PLUS
As incredible as it may seem to you, there are experts who point out that regular exercise also has functional effects. However, if this sport is very intense, free radicals are produced that can alter important biological structures.
In some Olympic sports, such as gymnastics, both artistic and rhythmic, there may be cases of athletes suffering from malnutrition, especially girls are at high risk. This poor nutritional status leads to a reduced immune response and an increase in inflammatory factors.
Exercise produces an acute cellular stress that these athletes do not attenuate or fill through food, because burning more calories accelerates oxidative processes. In these cases the diet must be supplemented with antioxidants, through fruits and vegetables (vitamins, minerals and antioxidants).
In any case, apart from elite sport, it must be said that moderate physical activity strengthens the immune system, helps to maintain normal lipid profiles and control weight. All this leads to an improvement in the person's cardiovascular status.
CONSUMPTION PRECAUTIONS
Having said that, we could say that the consumption of functional foods is very healthy and highly recommended, but in reality this is not always the case.
According to a report by the Consumers' and Users' Organisation (OCU)
Those that help your defenses: they help rather little and when their consumption is stopped the possible effect is over.
Those with soy: According to several American studies, soy is healthy when accompanied by a diet low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol, but these foods have so little soy (less than 2 grams) that their effect would be negligible.
You should drink more than 12 yoghurts per day, in which case you should also take into account the effect of the other components (fat, sugar, etc.), which are probably not so positive.
The ones that lower cholesterol or blood pressure: They can have some positive effects, but take them with caution and provided that you also follow a proper diet, do sports, etc..
Nutritionally enriched: The amounts of added nutrients (cereals, fruit, vegetables) are very small and far below the recommended amounts.
Those who help reduce fat: in addition to the fact that their presumed effect is minimal, especially in overweight people, they ignore the fact that body weight is not reduced and that diet is necessary.
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