Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 24
NOURISH
FUNCTIO
BY CAITLIN D’ELIA, ACCREDITED PRACTISING DIETITIAN & PHYSIOTHERAPIST
You’ve likely heard of
func琀椀onal exercise, but
have you heard of func琀椀onal
foods? While there’s some
debate about its exact
de昀椀ni琀椀on, a func琀椀onal food
generally refers to either
a whole food or one that
has been enriched, for琀椀昀椀ed
or enhanced to provide a
poten琀椀al health bene昀椀t.
You may also hear the terms
‘nutraceu琀椀cals’, medical
foods or designer foods.
Although func琀椀onal foods
have gained media trac琀椀on
recently, the concept dates
back several decades.
According to Linda Tapsell
(2008), func琀椀onal foods 昀椀rst
gained a琀琀en琀椀on in the 1980s
and became mainstream in the
late 1990s with the launch of
a 昀椀bre-containing so昀琀 drink in
Japan. Today, whether you’re
walking into the supermarket
or scrolling through social
media, you’ll see countless
health and wellness claims on
food packaging. Be aware that
vague marke琀椀ng buzzwords
like ‘superfood’ or ‘natural’
If a product makes a speci昀椀c
health claim (for example, “This
product lowers cholesterol”),
that claim must be backed by
scien琀椀昀椀c evidence, which is
publicly available through the
Food Standards Code from
Food Standards Australia &
New Zealand (FSANZ). For
instance, rolled oats naturally
contain beta-glucans, which
help to lower cholesterol,
making them a bona 昀椀de
func琀椀onal food.
aren’t regulated and don’t
Do functional foods really
necessarily indicate genuine
improve our health?
func琀椀onal bene昀椀t.
The answer, as with many