Nutritionally modified foods and functional foods

Question 1

What are functional foods?

Answer 1

Foods that provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Contains: bioactive compounds, nutrients or other components that contribute to improved health or reduced risk of disease

Question 2

What are the three classes of functional foods?

Answer 2

1. Foods with natural preventative or curative substances
2. Nutritionally modified foods
3. Active non-nutrients

Question 3

Foods with natural preventative or curative substances

Answer 3

Fruits, vegetables, fermented foods, high fibre cereals and grains, oily fish

Question 4

Nutritionally modified foods

Answer 4

Foods been altered to improve their nutritional content by adding or removing certain nutrients –> improve health outcomes like reducing sugar/fat or adding fibre [reduced fat milk, cheese]

• Enriched: nutrients replaced that are lost during processing - vitamin B and iron in Australian flour
• Fortified: nutrients added to increase the levels originally there such as iodised salt, fibre in bread, almond milk

Question 5

Active non nutrients

Answer 5

Bioactive compounds found in foods that do not provide essential nutrients but still have beneficial effects on the body –> promote health, prevent diseases, improve bodily functions

• Anti oxidants: neutralise free radicals e.g, Vitamins C and E
• Probiotics and prebiotics [lacto bacillus acidophilus] e.g. Yakult
• Dietary fibre
• Plant sterols

Question 6

How does the body defend itself against free radicals?

Answer 6

The body uses antioxidants to neutralise free radicals by donating electrons to them –> stabilising them without becoming reactive themselves –> prevent/reduce the damage free radicals can cause