Asparagus is a great
functional food.

Picking the Right Food

Eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods and maintaining an active lifestyle are two keys to promoting health and well-being. Some foods, however, provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. These foods are termed "functional foods."

Functional foods do more than meet your minimum daily requirements of nutrients. They also can play roles in reducing the risk of disease and promoting good health. Basic nutrition concentrates on foods and nutrients needed for normal growth and development. Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are some of the basic nutrients that the body needs. While all foods are functional in that they provide nutrients, the term "functional foods" describes health-promoting ingredients or natural components that have a potential benefit to the body. This includes whole foods as well as fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods and dietary supplements.

The concept of functional foods is not new, although dramatic advances have been made recently. In the early 1900s, food manufacturers in the United States began adding iodine to salt to prevent goiters (an enlargement of the thyroid glad), representing one of the first attempts at creating a functional component through fortification.

Today, researchers have identified hundreds of compounds with functional qualities, and they continue to make new discoveries about the complex benefits of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) in foods. Phytochemicals are found in many foods and can provide benefits beyond basic nutrition. Many functional foods have these chemicals present.