Featured Healthy Food Article
There are many forms of soy, including miso, tofu, whole soy beans, numerous dairy-comparable products such as milk, yogurt and cheese, and meat-alternative products. Healthy Food Secrets deems soy as a healthy food because of its many health benefits, including the promotion of a healthy heart and healthy bones, the prevention of cancer and the alleviation of menopausal symptoms.
Soy beans contain high amounts of protein, including essential amino acids, and soy beans are a great source of calcium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, B-vitamins, magnesium, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. |
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Written by Healthy Food
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Wednesday, 31 December 2008 04:06 |
.jpg) As food shoppers, we are constantly flooded with new terminology. It’s just you, your grocery cart, and the food that you’re thinking about buying at eye level! Without a nutritionist on hand, one has no idea what to make of the fancy facts and figures decorated on food packages.
The general concept behind functional foods is that they are foods that offer health benefits beyond the conventional nutrients found in naturally occurring foods.
In the U.S. there is no official definition for the term “functional foods.” The best way to determine if a food is a sort of functional food, one should look for a “health claim” on the nutrition label. The Food and Drug Administration pre-approve health claims before they are allowed on nutritional labels.
Scientific data usually backs up health claims. Food packaging that contains phrases such as ‘reducing cholesterol levels and/ or heart disease risk,’ usually portray themselves as functional foods.
The FDA has officially approved health claims for products with:
- Omega-3 fatty acids because it is known to decrease the risk of heart disease.
- Cranberry juice which reduces the possibility of urinary tract infection.
- Organosulfur compounds in garlic which decrease cholesterol levels.
- Green tea which reduces the risk of cancer.
- Lycopene from tomatoes which minimizes certain cancers including prostate cancer.
- Lutein, which is found in dark green vegetables, reduces the risk of macular degeneration.
- Dairy and meats containing conjugated linoleic acid.
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Probiotics which are great for immunity gastrointestinal attributes.
 Various researchers have looked into the claim and found that omega-3 and cranberry juice have the strongest claims to functional foods while the rest the foods listed above have moderate to weak claims.
Food chemists continue to do an extensive amount of research on these various nutrients. Perhaps you should write down the new vocabulary you learn in your Food Journal as well! Be sure to look out for more articles elaborating these compounds on Healthy Food Secrets!
The point of this article is for you to become an informed consumer. Increase your knowledge of food products and terminology to help you make the right judgments about your health. Remember, we are what we eat. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to start paying attention to what we consume. Increase your general knowledge of foods and the resulting benefits or problems that these dietary decisions bring about for you!
Author:Healthy Foods Team.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 10 February 2009 16:42 )
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