Maharashtra Board Class 11 Food Science and Technology Chapter 16 Functional Food PDF Download

Functional Food

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to identify functional food products.

Students will be able to critically analyze the health claims made on the labels of these products.

Students will be able to learn and give examples of functional foods.

Students will be able to learn the classification of functional foods.

Food As Medicine

"Let your food be your medicine" said Hippocrates. Today food has become important beyond its basic nutrition, cultural pleasure of feeding a family and greeting friends in a social meeting. Products intended to cure diseases are medicinal products and not foods. But on the other hand, a healthy diet consisting of foods with functional properties can help to promote wellbeing and even reduce the risk of developing certain disorders like obesity, hypertension, heart related diseases, etc. World Health Organization (WHO) stresses the importance of a healthy diet in preventing non-communicable diseases. Healthy diet is not just about limiting certain components of concern such as saturated or trans fatty acids or simply delivering nutrient intake. It also includes those elements that may provide an extra benefit.

Teacher's Note

In India, we drink milk with turmeric to stay healthy. This is a functional food because turmeric has special health powers. Your grandmother knows this well!

Exam Trick

Remember: Functional food = Food plus medicine. Like when your mother adds amla to your diet for good health.

Points to Remember

Functional food has health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Food can prevent some diseases.
Healthy eating is very important for your body.
Functional foods are fresh or processed foods with special powers.
These foods help reduce obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Need Of Functional Food

In the fast moving modern world of today, which is rapidly progressing towards industrialization and urbanization, need of functional food has become apparent due to drastic changes in lifestyle.

Teacher's Note

Today, children eat fast food and junk food. That is why we need functional foods. Functional foods help fight bad eating habits.

Exam Trick

Remember: Modern life = bad food. So we need = functional food. Like how junk food replaced home food, now we need special healthy food.

Points to Remember

Modern life is very busy and unhealthy.
People do not eat proper food nowadays.
We need special foods to stay healthy.
Functional foods fight diseases caused by bad lifestyle.
Functional foods are the answer to modern health problems.

Definition Of Functional Food

Functional food is any fresh or processed food claimed to have a health promoting and or disease preventing property beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients.

Teacher's Note

When you drink milk with honey, the milk gives calcium and honey gives energy. Together they are functional food because both work together for your health.

Exam Trick

Remember: Functional = Extra work. Normal food gives nutrition. Functional food gives nutrition plus extra health benefit. Like fortified milk is better than plain milk.

Points to Remember

Functional food is fresh or processed.
It promotes health and prevents disease.
It gives more than basic nutrition.
It has special active ingredients.
It claims to have health benefits written on the label.

Classification Of Functional Foods

Functional food has been classified into four categories: conventional foods, modified foods, medical foods, and foods for health use.

Conventional Foods

Conventional foods are the most basic of the functional foods because they have not been modified by enrichment or fortification. They are still in their natural state. Most whole fruits and vegetables fall into this category because they are rich in phytochemicals such as lycopene and lutein, fibre, as well as other beneficial compounds (vitamins, minerals and antioxidants). For example, tomato is a functional food because it contains bioactive compound called Lycopene. Lycopene is associated with reduction of cancer. Traditional natural way of making curd in earthen pots gives probiotic effect.

Teacher's Note

In India, we grow tomatoes and eat them fresh. Tomato has a special chemical called lycopene that fights cancer. Your grandmother knew this when she cooked tomatoes with turmeric.

Exam Trick

Remember: Conventional food = No change needed. Like simple apple, simple rice, simple vegetables. They are already perfect for health because nature made them.

Points to Remember

Conventional foods are natural and not changed.
They are whole fruits and vegetables.
They have no added ingredients.
They are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Tomato, carrot, spinach are conventional functional foods.

Modified Foods

Modified foods are enriched, fortified, supplemented or enhanced with nutrients or other beneficial ingredients. Calcium-fortified orange juice, folic acid enriched breads and margarine supplemented with plant sterols are the modified foods. Omega-3 enriched bread (adding flax seed) is also considered as functional food. High fibre biscuits fortified with oat flakes are good for cancer and diabetic patients.

Teacher's Note

When you buy bread with extra fiber written on the label, it is modified food. The company added wheat bran or oats to make it healthier for you.

Exam Trick

Remember: Modified food = Food with added health. Like calcium added to milk = fortified milk. Just like we add salt to food, companies add good things to bread.

Points to Remember

Modified foods have something added to them.
They are enriched or fortified with nutrients.
Calcium is added to orange juice.
Folic acid is added to bread for mothers.
High fiber biscuits are good for diabetic patients.

Medical Foods

These foods need a doctor's prescription and are not available over the counter to consumers but can be taken through medical representative. They are specially formulated foods given either orally or through tube feeding under medical supervision. For example, malted baby food, ORS preparations for diarrhea patients.

Teacher's Note

When a small baby cannot drink mother's milk, the doctor gives special baby food. This is medical food. Only doctors can tell you which medical food to use.

Exam Trick

Remember: Medical food = Doctor's permission needed. Like when you are very sick, the doctor gives you special food. You cannot just buy it from the shop.

Points to Remember

Medical foods need doctor's prescription.
They are given to very sick people.
They are made specially for patients.
ORS is used for diarrhea patients.
Special baby food is medical food.

Foods For Special Dietary Use

Foods for special dietary use are similar to these medical foods, but they are available commercially and do not require the supervision of a health care provider. These foods fulfill special dietary needs that are due to specific health conditions such as celiac disease, lactose intolerance, obesity, anemic condition, etc. Gluten-free foods, and other foods designed to for weight loss are considered for special dietary use. Infant foods are also grouped in this category. Lactating mothers are advised to have shatavari extract to get easy flow of milk.

Few examples of functional foods available in Indian market (Table 16.1) are such as gluten free atta, probiotic yoghurt, fruit juices (natural, ayurvedic and smoothies), green tea, rich of antioxidant, vagen milk (lactose free), Omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed, fish oil enriched breads, plant sterol and stanol-enriched margarine, calcium-enriched milk, caffeine-enriched beverages like sports drinks. Some examples of functional foods with their health claims and active ingredients are illustrated in table-16.2.

Teacher's Note

In India, many children cannot drink regular milk because of lactose. Special lactose-free milk is made for them. This is special dietary food available in all shops.

Exam Trick

Remember: Special dietary food = For special problems. If you have allergy, the doctor recommends special food. But it is not medical food because you can buy it yourself.

Points to Remember

Special dietary foods are for specific health problems.
Gluten-free foods are for celiac disease patients.
Lactose-free milk is for people who cannot digest lactose.
These foods are available in shops without doctor's permission.
Infant foods are special dietary foods for babies.

Health Benefits Of Functional Foods

Functional foods have numerous health benefits and disease preventive effects. For example, treatment of cancer, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD), anti-aging, immune boosting as well as managing diabetes. The health promoting effect is because of the presence of bioactive constituents.

Functional foods offer great potential to improve health and/or help prevent certain diseases when taken as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Teacher's Note

Eating green tea every day can help you stay healthy. It has special chemicals that fight diseases. Your body becomes stronger with functional foods.

Exam Trick

Remember: Functional food benefits = Disease fighter. Like how a shield protects a soldier, functional foods protect your body from diseases.

Points to Remember

Functional foods prevent diseases.
They fight cancer and heart disease.
They help control weight and diabetes.
They have special active chemicals.
They work best with healthy lifestyle and exercise.

Probiotics

Probiotic bacterial are beneficial or friendly bacteria that are naturally present in some of our foods or are added to processed foods for their health benefits.

By probiotics, we mean beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus species found in the intestine which combat harmful pathogens and provide additional health benefits.

Benefits Of Probiotics

Reduce diarrhoea and irritable bowl syndrome

Reduce symptoms of colds

Improves digestion

Sources Of Probiotics

Fermented milk products such as curd, yogurt and buttermilk.

Teacher's Note

In India, we eat curd with every meal. Curd has good bacteria called probiotics. These bacteria help your stomach work better and keep you healthy.

Exam Trick

Remember: Probiotics = Good bacteria friends. They live in your stomach and fight bad bacteria. Curd and yogurt are full of these good friends.

Points to Remember

Probiotics are good bacteria for your body.
They help digestion work better.
Curd and yogurt have probiotics.
They reduce stomach problems and diarrhea.
Lactobacillus is a helpful probiotic bacteria.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are special indigestible soluble fibres present in plant foods that support the growth of probiotic bacteria without being affected by cooking or digestive processes.

Benefits Of Prebiotics

Indirectly prebiotics confer numerous health benefits.

Reducing prevalence of infectious diseases

Reduces antibiotic associated diarrhea.

Reduces risk of CVD and colon cancer.

Prebiotics provide satiety, reduce weight and thus helps in prevent of obesity.

Sources Of Prebiotics

Whole grain specially oats, wheat bran, soyabean, flax seeds, carrots, citrus fruits, etc.

Teacher's Note

When you eat oats or whole wheat bread, you get prebiotics. These are special fibers that help good bacteria grow in your stomach. It is like giving food to your helpful bacteria.

Exam Trick

Remember: Prebiotics = Food for good bacteria. Probiotics = Good bacteria. Both work together. Prebiotics feed probiotics, and probiotics keep you healthy.

Points to Remember

Prebiotics are special fibers in plants.
They are not digested by your body.
They help good bacteria grow.
Oats, wheat, and carrots have prebiotics.
They help prevent obesity and cancer.

Teacher's Note

Look at the table above. It shows real Indian foods that you can buy. All these foods have special health powers written on the packet.

Exam Trick

Remember the table by food type. Gluten-free for allergy, probiotic for digestion, multigrain for cholesterol. Each functional food fights one main disease.

Points to Remember

Gluten-free foods are for celiac disease patients.
Probiotic drinks help your stomach digest food.
Multigrain cereals help control cholesterol levels.
Vegan milk is good for weight loss.
Green tea has antioxidants that fight diseases.

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