Health Pages

Functional Foods

Functional Foods

TURN YOUR GARDEN INTO A PHARMACY AND
YOUR KITCHEN INTO A FIRST AID CENTER!

Functional foods are the forefront of healthy nutrition. They are defined as any food or food ingredient that contain not only recognized nutrient(s) but also a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrient it contains. Functional foods are similar to a conventional food and play an important role in regular and healthy diet. As part of a routine diet, they might prevent some chronic diseases. Examples of functional foods include: cherries (beleived to be effective remedy for arthritis and to reduce levels of uric acid); garlic (used to prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, respiratory infections, colds, intestinal worms and gastrointestinal ailments); ginger (used for nausea, indigestion, coughs and arthritis); foods high in dietery fibre (prevent constipation and lower cholesterol; olive oil (beleived to prevent heart disease); honey (used as remedy for sore throat, inflamations and minor skin wounds).

Other functional foods are those that contain not only recognized nutrients but also new enhanced elements that impart medicine-like properties to the food. Good examples are foods enriched with folic acid like cereals, bars, juice, yogurt, or eggs enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.

Various subclasses of functional foods also exist, such as nutraceuticals that are commonly sold in forms appearing more like medications (for example capsules or pills) and probiotics (or foods that improve microbial flora that reside within the human digestive tract) which support gastrointestinal health and boost immunity.

In addition, foods that contain functional components like phytochemicals (naturally occurring substances found in plants that provide plants with color, odor and flavor) such as carotenoids (from vegetables and fruits such as carrots, tomatoes, dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, apricots, plums), sulforaphanes (from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbages), polyphenols (from onions and garlic) are believed to block carcinogens from entering cells (cancer protective), and others may function as antioxidants or have some other health benefits (for example sulforaphanes and apigenin provide heart protection, lutein reduces blindness in the elderly, zeaxanthin enhances immune function).


Did You Know?

Consumption of food rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish like salmon, herring, sardines and crustacean like krill) helps increase metabolism, balance blood sugar and reduce inflamation. Omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA ) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are essential building blocks for the body's anti-inflammatory response and anti-inflamatory gene expression. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids block the activity of an enzyme that breaks down joint cartilage.

Note: Shelfish such as lobster and shrimp can trigger inflammation and are best avoided.
Curcumin, the natural yellow pigment found in turmeric root (a yellow spice from India that gives yellow curry its colour) is a very powerful antioxidant with many health benefits. Turmeric has been used (orally and topically) in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousand of years for: treating inflamed joints, reducing intestinal inflammation, improving digestion, sanitizing and healing skin wounds, treating a range of bacterial and fungal infections, healing skin problems, purifying the blood, regulating menstruation, relieving some liver problems, stimulating bile production and much more. Curcumin also helps normalize blood cholesterol, thins the blood, helps treating inflammatory disease like arthritis and to reduce inflamation related to other antyimmune disorders. Some studies and clinical trials on curcumin have also found that curcumin has anticancer effects, reduces and shrunks the number and size of tumours, and reduces the severity of chemotherapy and radiation.

Note: Curcumin is contraindicated if you are taking anticoagulants and suffer from obstructive gallbladder disease. Curcumin also increases your sensitivity to the sun, so it is advisable to avoid long periods in strong sunlight.
Oranges are a great way to get your vitamin C, which may reduce risk of many disease, but you may be tossing away some of the fruit's most healthful parts-flavonoids cluster in the orange's peel and white, pithy part underneath. A smear of orange marmalade, made with jellied orange peel can give you some of these healthful chemicals, which may reduce risk of lung, stomach and cervical cancers.

A compound formed naturally in the stomach's juices during digestion is believed to be a factor in gastric cancers. This is especially true among people who eat processed rather than fresh foods. In a Chinese study, researchers gave people two grams of a powder made from dried orange peel after each meal. The powder lowered the amount of these toxic compounds by 53 % in those with healthy stomachs and by 62 % in those who already had gastric cancer.
Avocado is an excellent source of monounsaturated fat - the hearth healthy kind that lowers bad LDL cholesterol. A researchers in Mexican study compared diets low in saturated fat. During the first diet, volunteers ate avocados as their major source of fat. Then they ate the same diet without avocados. In both diets bad LDL cholesterol levels decreased. The diet without avocado produced significantly lower levels of the good HDL cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides. The Australian Avocado Growers' Federation financed a similar study at Wesley Hospital in Brisbane. Researchers there found that a three-week diet high in monounsaturated fat , which included between a half and 1 1/2 avocado a day, was just effective in lowering bad LDL cholesterol as the low-fat, high-complex-carbohydrate diet recommended by the American Heart Association. Still, dieters should beware, since avocados contain about 350 calories each.
Tomatoes are a uniquely rich source of lycopene, an antioxidant that may stop the cell damage that can trigger cancer. A six-year Harvard University study of 47,000 men found that men who ate at least ten servings a week of tomato based food were 45 % less likely to get prostate cancer than those who had less than two servings a week. Men who ate four to seven servings cut their risk by 20 %. The Harvard study found that cooked tomato sauce offered better protection than raw tomatoes; and scientists believe that the heat bursts tomato cells so they release even more lycopene. Cooking them in oil dramatically increases the amount of lycopene the body can absorb. Women benefit as well. An Italian study including both sexes reported that eating three or more servings of raw tomatoes per week significantly decreased the risk for stomach and rectal cancers.

Learn More:

Acai Berry - The Number One Supper Food...
Antioxidants - Protecting You from Free Radicals
Protect Your Health
Feel Better & Stay Healthy
Proper Nutrition
Cholesterol and You
About Fats
Arthritis
Diabetes
Coenzyme Q10
CVD Disease Risk Factors
Alcoholism & Treatments


Back to Health Pages




RomWell Health Pages - Disclaimer

Our pages are created to provide medically accurate information that is intended to complement, not replace or substitute in any way the services of your physician. Any application of the recommendations set forth in the following pages is at the reader's discretion and sole risk. Before undergoing medical treatment, you should consult with your doctor, who can best assess your individual needs, symptoms and treatment.

Browse Health Pages

It doesn't take much to start living healthier life...

CVD Disease Risk Factors
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease are grouped into...
First aid
First aid in emergency...
Hepatitis
Dangers of Hepatitis...
Set Your Goals
Select a few goals to work on now...
Antioxidants
Lower the Risk of Disease - Find Protection from Free Radicals...
Triglycerides
Learn about most common reasons for high triglycerides...
Before Tatooing & Piercing
Learn more before tatooing & piercing...
Cholesterol Facts
Facts You Should Know About Cholesterol...