Functional Food
Introduction
Food can have three functions:
1) provides the body with energy in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, basic nutrition;
2) we derive pleasure from it, meaning: pleasant aroma, color and taste;
3) determines the health of the body.
Functional foods can be similar in their appearance to basic foods or can be said to be conditional foods that are consumed as part of a normal diet, while having physiological benefits and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.Functional foods can be natural foods enriched or foods containing functional ingredients.
Information about functional foods and diseases:
Calcium contributes to the health of the skeletal system (93%)
Fiber promotes digestive health (92%)
Cereals reduce the risk of heart disease (83%)
Probiotics promote digestive health (49%)
Soy reduces the risk of heart disease (41%)
Plant sterols reduce the risk of heart disease (30%).
Such a bigger interest in functional foods represents a paradigm shift from eliminating "bad" components to enhancing "good" components. It is true that most people control their health and most of them control their nutrition. This method goes full circle in ensuring health and longevity.
We haven't had many outbreaks of infectious diseases. Therefore, the majority of the population has more to do with non-infectious diseases; Obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, etc. Diseases commonly associated with the foods we eat are heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), dental disease, gastrointestinal disease, anemia, and obesity.
In the USA, life expectancy is increasing, and the number of elderly people is increasing at the same time. Currently 12% of the population is over 65 years old and in 2030 it is expected to be 20%. The main key that contributes to the health of people is a properly balanced diet.
The human body is an open system that is influenced by various environmental factors. The human body is penetrated by toxins, viruses and bacteria, a person consumes a ton of food in a lifetime along with nutrients and functional components, but they also contain pathogens, toxins and antigens. The food we eat not only provides us with energy and nutrients but also has an impact on our health. 200-400 different types of microbes exist in the human gastrointestinal tract (more than 1,000 species are found in the human colon according to a scientific study published on June 2, 2006).
Therefore, it is advisable to start working on functional foods immediately. Below is a list of foods that should be consumed weekly.
tomatoes (lycopene);
spinach (folic acid);
Cauliflower (fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, sulfur compounds);
Nuts (vitamin E);
Oats (soluble fiber/prebiotics);
yogurt (probiotics);
orange-pink salmon (omega-3 fatty acid);
cranberries, blueberries (antioxidants);
green tea (antioxidants);
garlic (antioxidants);
Soy foods (isoflavonoids);
