Functional Foods for Better Health

Abstract

Food is very important for human beings in health and disease. To larger extent, human beings struggle to obtain food in day today life . Apart from this food struggle and shortage, the human face nutritional deficiency diseases. The nutritional diseases are protein energy malnutrition, endemic goitre, nutritional anemia, nutritional blindness and other related diseases affects individual life. Functional food plays a vital role in providing essential nutrients to the human and their well-being. The simple meaning of functional food is that food which provide health benefits that is basic nutrients. The basic nutrients include micronutrients and macro nutrients such as vitamins minerals, fat and protein. The concept of functional foods was first developed and introduced in Japan in the mid 1980’s. Since then there is no clear meaning and definition for functional foods. It includes the primary categories of foods like conventional, modified food ingredients. Normally foods are considered as functional when it contains a bio active component and non – nutrients. Bioactive components are nutrients like vitamins, minerals, protein etc., and non- nutrients are phyto chemicals like poly phenols, prebiotic dietary, fibers etc. which affects the individual physiological functions in the body. This improves the well-being and health reduces disease risk and improves the disease outcomes. Thus, functional foods include nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, and medical foods. The consumption of functional food helps to achieve specific health benefits. This functional food leads to follow a healthy dietary pattern. This healthy dietary pattern is important for maintaining optimal health and reduce chronic disease risk. So, an attempt is made to study the functionals foods for better health in India.