Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

You may have noticed something in the grocery store lately—food labels heavily promoting their contents as packing health benefits. Think calcium-fortified OJ or enriched bread. These “functional foods” purport to provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, but the claims can seem dubious. The American Dietetic Association recently weighed in on the functional food trend, though, and lends some credibility to the foods.

As the ADA observes, “the study of how diet impacts disease prevention and health promotion is more important than ever. Consumer interest in the health benefits of foods and food components is at an all-time high and will continue to grow.” In this environment, it’s understandable that consumers would be attracted to functional foods.

The ADA takes the position that “functional foods that include whole foods and fortified, enriched or enhanced foods have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis, at effective levels.” It cautions, though, that health claims on functional foods should be based on strong scientific substantiation. And it warns against using the term to imply that there are good foods and bad foods. To my surprise, the ADA says “functional food” implies that all foods can be incorporated into a healthful, varied diet. I wonder if that includes, say, Twinkies.

The ADA points out that the term “functional foods” has no legal or regulatory meaning in the U.S. and is merely a marketing idiom at this point. For its purposes, the ADA defines functional foods as those that “move beyond necessity to provide additional health benefits that may reduce disease risk and/or promote optimal health. Functional foods include conventional foods, modified foods (fortified, enriched or enhanced), medical foods and foods for special dietary uses.”

That’s a broad definition. According to the ADA, for example, conventional food with functional properties includes garlic, nuts and tomatoes. In fact, unmodified conventional foods like fruits and veggies represent the simplest form of functional food, with the ADA citing emerging evidence linking several types of fruits and vegetables with cancer reduction.

Modified foods include calcium-enhanced orange juice, folate-enriched breads and foods formulated with bioactive ingredients like fish oils or lutein (the ADA notes that some beverages modified with energy-promoting ingredients have been criticized for making fraudulent medical claims, as well as safety concerns). Medical foods include PKU formulas free of phenylalanine. Foods for special dietary uses include gluten-free and lactose-free foods.

If you have questions about how certain foods should fit into your diet, you might want to consult a nutritionist. As the ADA concludes, “food and nutrition professionals are uniquely qualified to interpret scientific findings on functional foods and translate such findings into practical dietary applications for consumers …” I know from experience that a single visit to a nutritionist can result in a comprehensive diet plan at a reasonable price.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 8:05 am and is filed under Health and Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.