What are Functional Foods?

“In short, functional foods provide a breadth of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that enhance overall wellbeing. As the adage goes, “you are what you eat.”

Many have heard the term before, and if you're health conscious or just starting on the path, functional foods are something that you will hear about more and more. In Japan, functional foods are called Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU), in the United States they’re a rapidly growing sector of the food industry, and throughout centuries of history this group of foods has been widely regarded as medicine.

2,500 years ago, famed Greek physician and the “father of medicine”, Hippocrates, heartedly exclaimed, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food!” This creed was graciously embraced but soon found itself overlooked and disregarded with the advent of modernized health and drug therapies throughout the 19th century.

Beginning in the 1900’s, health focus shifted once more to promote fostering a holistic health system within the individual for disease prevention. Food nutrition reemerged into the scientific and public communities, respectively.

Recently, a phenomenon dubbed ‘consumer self-care’ brought a health-conscious shift to societies leading people to view their kitchen cabinet as their own medicine cabinet. People are taking it upon themselves to consume healthy products, and in doing so, they improve health equity and keep themselves consistently healthy. As we return to intuitive wellness and relearn practices for health and longevity, we must ask, what is a functional food?

When it comes down to it all whole foods, which are foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed, are functional. However, the definition gains complexity when we start to think about processing food.

In 1994, the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) Food and Nutrition Board defined functional foods as “any modified food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains”. The key points to note in this definition from the NAS are that functional foods are foods that are modified and that are providing benefits other than nutrition.

In contrast, a 1999 position paper, the American Dietetic Association defined functional foods as foods that are “whole, fortified, enriched, or enhanced.” This is a broader definition than the NAS in that it now includes whole foods without modification, and specifies some ways that a food can be modified and thus become a functional food.

Lastly, the International Life Sciences Institute defines them as “foods that, by virtue of the presence of physiologically-active components, provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition”. This definition clearly lays out parameters for what can be called a functional food. The food must have components that have a specific physical effect in the body, and the effect must be one that surpasses basic nutrition.”

At IFFA, we are dedicated to bridging the gap between the scientific and public communities when it comes to functional foods. We’ve defined functional foods to encompass their history of use and proven benefits: functional foods are foods for a specific health use beyond basic nutrition with science-backed benefits.

Why Do I Need to Eat Functional Foods?

In short, functional foods provide a breadth of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that enhance overall wellbeing. As the adage goes, “you are what you eat.” We stand by this whole heartedly and aim to elevate health through education on what functional foods are, why they are critical for whole body health, and how to best incorporate them into your daily routine. Rather than relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms like calorie dense and nutrient poor foods, alcohol, and pills, we aim to reverse this unhealthy cycle by building up the body to be naturally strong, resilient and energized.

What can functional foods help with overall?

Gut health
Digestion
Microbiome (and mycobiome) health
Healthy bones
Brain power: memory and cognitive function
Nervous system function
Stress support
Heart health and function
Energy
Deep sleep
Liver health and detoxification
Lung health and function
Skin health
Immune system health and response

Sounds vague, right? The purpose of describing the benefits of functional foods like this is to funnel the mind down from a broad understanding to one that’s more specific, and to understand if we support just one, we may support many!

Which parts of the body can functional foods help support and maintain?

Eye health
Hair health
Kidney and liver health and function
Prostate health
Joint health
Muscle health and function

Don’t swallow just yet, we’re not done chewing!

What body functions can functional foods help improve and support?

Hormonal health and function
Cholesterol
Blood sugar balance
Body alkalinity
Natural weight loss
Exercise and performance
Detoxification
Inflammation
Natural energy
Sleep quality and patterns
Emotional stability and mood support
And more!

What Are the Best Functional Foods?

Functional foods are everywhere: everyday recipes, common grocery stores, restaurants, and likely already in your own kitchen.

So, how do we optimize functional foods to our benefit? Quality and quantity: the secret is to incorporate them into your routine in a way that they complement one another to provide an effective dose of the compounds your body needs for optimal vitality.

What are the key groups to look for when choosing functional foods?

These are all important parts of functional foods, and terms you will continuously hear as you travel down the health and wellness path. Take notes, these points are the most common that can help your body:

Antioxidants
Anti-inflammatory
Omega-3s
Probiotics
Prebiotics
Adaptogens

Functional Mushrooms

Start small. Before a trip to the grocery store, add a recipe or meal option with one functional food at a time. Before you know it, functional foods will be all you eat! If you’re still wondering where to start, ask yourself:

Which functional foods should I start with? Start with the one food from each of the following groups:

Antioxidant-rich foods (aka, colorful foods!)

The following foods will provide antioxidants to combat oxidative stress and support better health on a cellular level. They're also easy to use alone or mixed into any dish:

Brassica vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage
Leafy greens: spinach, kale, dandelion greens, collards, beet greens, watercress
Mushrooms: shiitake, maitake, oyster, lion’s mane, etc.
Black foods: coffee, cacao, black olives, black sesame seeds, Chaga ‘mushroom’
Berries: goji berries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

Anti-inflammatory foods

Simple tea and common kitchen herbs contain powerful medicinal benefits (anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and so much more!) and are a simple and delicious way to elevate any dish or drink.

Tea (Camellia sinensis leaves): green tea/matcha, black tea, white tea
Herbs: sage, rosemary, chamomile, thyme, rose, oregano, parsley, basil, cilantro, mints (peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm)
Spices: turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, fennel, fenugreek

Omega-3 rich foods

Of the 3 macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates and protein, let’s break down good vs bad fats, which are essential and why. There are three essential fatty acids, Omega 3, 6, and 9. Omega 3’s are naturally anti-inflammatory, while 6 and 9’s are pro-inflammatory. “Essential” refers to nutrients your body cannot manufacture on its own so must get from the foods you are eating. While Omega 3’s used to be common in ancient diets, in today’s world it is one of the most common deficiencies.

Let’s look at why: Omega 3’s are mostly found in fish, bones, seaweeds and foods sparse in the SAD (Standard American Diet). Omega 6 and 9’s are abundant in wheat and soy- two of the biggest crops hiding in almost every packaged food. Inflammation is a root issue in many ailments for people in today’s world, and a big cause is our diet and the amount of inflammatory foods we are consuming. Increasing Omega 3’s are essential to reverse the inflammation cycle in order to improve and protect various deficiencies and body functions and may help to lower your risk of heart disease, depression, joint pain, and support brain cognition:

Fatty fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel, and halibut
Nuts and seeds: walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds
Seaweeds: dulse, bladderwrack, and kelp
Plants: purslane etc.

Probiotics

Probiotics are fermented foods and are essential for healthy gut function. An off-balance climate for microbiomes embedded within the gut can cause stomach discomfort, weight change, mood alteration, skin irritation, and chronic fatigue:

Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar
Fermented grains: tempeh, miso, and natto
Pickles
Sauerkraut and Kimchi

Prebiotics

Prebiotic foods are the lesser known counterpart to probiotics but are just as important in fostering a functional gut. They include carbohydrates that contain fiber, which are nutrients that break down slowly and help feed your probiotic microbial colonies:

Dandelion greens – you can eat them straight out of the ground. Just be sure to pick from a field that has had zero weed control chemicals used on it!
Chicory root
Garlic and onions
Leeks and asparagus
Bananas and apples
Barley and oats
Jicama root, yacon root, and burdock root

Adaptogens and functional mushrooms

Although the information above is just the foundations for functional foods, there is another group gaining traction within it: the mushroom movement, and it’s heading your way! It’s best for us to get accustomed now than not be a fun guy (fungi) later!

Lots of adaptogens and immunomodulators come from mushrooms, and they are low in calories, fat and are low-cholesterol. Plus, mushrooms are packed full of vitamins and minerals your body loves:

Plant-based adaptogens: ashwagandha, eleuthero, tulsi, and schisandra
Fungi-based adaptogens: reishi, chaga, lion’s mane, cordyceps, and shiitake mushrooms
Plus many more species showing up in grocery stores!

How Can Functional Foods Help Sustainability?

When discussing sustainability, we're not just talking about organic farming practices, efficient supply chains, and green product packaging. We’re not just focusing on how impactful we are to our communities and the world around us, or how we place our identities within them.

Sustainability also encompasses more than what’s external to you. It’s a testament to how well you--as a consumer, a person, a friend, or a family member, take care of yourself so that you may be of service to others. Health equity is a prominent mission of IFFA, and its implementation begins with the individual.

Consuming functional foods and promoting a functional lifestyle is the best way to promote sustainability within yourself. When you are supported, you can effectively promote sustainability practices that can make an impact in your community and in the world.

These practices are learned and are passed down from generation to generation. The education of sustainability is how we all ensure our collective wellness, longevity, and prosperity.

How can I promote sustainability within my family?

Children health and functional food education
Family meal planning and preparation
Functional food snacks
DIY functional food gardens and farming

How can I promote sustainability within myself?

Functional lifestyles (i.e. organizational and health management)
Exercise and detoxification
Single meal planning
DIY small space functional food gardening

Understanding what is at stake is essential to understanding how functional foods may benefit you and the lives around you. There are numerous ways to get involved through our partners and other ways to gain educational insight into how to better take care and begin the path to functionality:

Get involved with sustainable volunteering efforts
Support local businesses with sustainability initiatives
Stay up to date on functional food industry information
Cultivate sustainability practices for yourself and/or your family

Volunteer in Denver with our partner Grow Local Colorado!

Every path begins with a solid foundational step forward. At IFFA, we believe that the first step must be made by the individual to arm themselves with the knowledge and willingness to provide themselves with the means to better help themselves. We are here to help you and provide access to information and community connection.

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. . . Your health is what you make of it. Everything you do and think either adds to the vitality, energy, and spirit you possess or takes away from it.” - Ann Wigmore

Eat well and be well, friends. Health is the greatest wealth this life has ever known.

What Are Functional Foods and Why Do They Matter?