Super Foods, Are they functional as well?
Super Foods (SF) are described as foods with phytonutrients that one may realize health benefits from its consumption while Functional (FF) and Medical Foods (MF) are described in Wikepedia as any fresh or processed food that claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property above basic nutritional function. The definition of these terms is not exact and is as subjective as the nutrients that should or should not list under categories. Not all nutritionists, dietitians and science researchers subscribe to the notion that consuming food products can have healthy benefits. So is this a marketing tool or a verifiable new avenue in maintaining maximum health? One attractive point about Functional Foods is that they are not difficult to find. They are in abundance on supermarkets shelves, in aisles and produce sections. I have a friend who keeps a list of these nutrients on his refrigerator and this list serves as a menu for preparing meals and snacks. He is consumed in the idea of only consuming raw or processed products with health benefits as described above. What seems to separate (SF) from (FF) and (MF) is the word processed. This sector of health products represents a growing interest in the benefits of raw foods, natural nutrition, medical foods and other such products claiming to have those so-called health-promoting and/or disease-preventing properties. In researching the category of supplemental health products, one can see that the list is long and not always consistent. Several articles will categorize these nutrients under fermented, processed raw or fresh foods, but it would seem that the terms fresh and fermented contradict one another.
Clearly the term super foods has not reached the point of exact science, but it is this writers understanding that in order to qualify for the label, a food must (in addition to having health benefits that is beyond the norm) have high concentration of certain nutrients. This seems to be more of a concept and life style to encourage health eating via knowledge of what is contained in one’s daily consumption of meals. Surprisingly, there are a few websites that are dedicated to this subject alone. One of the more detailed sites bares this subject matter’s name as a trademark that ends in RX. They also appear to offer a health supplement with the name SuperFoodsRX that goes on to say its product is clinically proven to be effective in the following: Increase energy, make dieting more effective, strengthen immune system, improve appearance, reduce stress and improve memory. The list of nutrients contained in this supplement appears to be consistent with the basic list that is on the Internet. There are, however, some lists containing what appears to be the basic functional products plus some additional items. Here is a list of super foods thought to have disease preventing properties: · Apples- Avocados- Beans- Blueberries- Broccoli- Cinnamon- · Dark chocolate- Dark greens- Dried super fruits- Extra virgin olive oil- · Flex seed- Herb- Honey- Kiwi- · Low fat yogurt- Oats- Onions- Oranges- · Pomegranates- Pumpkins- Soy- Spices- · Spinach- Tea- Tomatoes- Turkey- · Walnuts- Whole grain-bread- Salmon
There are many health claims surrounding Super foods, so you would be well advised to do extensive reading and research as well as consult your physician prior to attempting to treat an illness using any of these products.
GNC SuperFoods Supreme
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