The Real Truth About Functional Foods and Dietary Supplements
If you're new to the world of functional foods and dietary supplements, you might be thinking, "All foods have a function, don't they? They provide nutrition and keep you from being hungry, what more are they supposed to do?" Well, there's a little more to it than that.
The Japanese are the first people who introduced the conception of "functional foods" in mid-80s. They use this term to refer to those foods which people eat for the health benefits they can provide. For instance, if you eat blueberries because its glucoquinine ingredients can improve your eye sight, they are considered "functional foods". Otherwise, if you only have blueberries because you are hungry or because you enjoy its taste, then it is just an ordinary food.
Now, we might need to explain a related term - "natraceutical", which refers to ingredients taken from ordinary food and sold for its health benefits. This word is sometimes inter-changeable with the term "dietary supplements". For instance, you can use both for blueberry and bilberry pills that are sold as vision support supplements.
What Functional Foods Are Popular?
The most common types of foods described as functional are vegetables and fruits eaten for the various vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they contain, and whole grains eaten as source of soluble fiber. Fish are often eaten for the omega-3 fatty acids they contain and many people also drink wine specifically for its beneficial effects on the circulatory system. Although berries are packed with vital nutrients, they're often overlooked as a functional food simply because they taste good. It's easy to forget they're a "health food."
Choosing the right dietary supplements
When it comes to food, decisions are fairly easy to make. You've got to eat something, so why not choose the most nutritious foods you can, provided they're at least palatable? With dietary supplements, though, the choice isn't so easy. Advertising claims sound great, but many physicians warn against the dangers of overdosing, mixing supplements, or taking them along with prescription medications.
If you can follow the advice by your doctor and stay with well-balanced diet each and every day, there is no need for you to get any dietary supplements. The problem is very few of us can really stick to a healthy dieting habit. Therefore, you need to consider dietary supplement when you do not eat healthily, or if you are in a very special condition (such as pregnancy or breast feeding) where more nutrition is required by your body, or when you have a medical condition that impairs your digestion. You should also consider the need for health supplements if you are a vegetarian.
The effects of some dietary supplements can be as powerful as prescribed medications, but they may also produce side-effects. As such, before you decide on going with a particular supplement, check out its ingredients, possible side effects, and warnings, if any. It is also worthwhile to spend some time talking to your doctor or checking our users' reviews online.
Functional foods and dietary supplements, when combined, will offer you a much better chance for meeting the nutritional needs by your body. However, as discussed, you need to plan well and not just pick up anything with big promise.
