I think we all “get” the importance of nutrition, not just for prevention of the nutrient deficiency diseases of old, but for truly optimizing our health.  I just returned from speaking at an obesity conference in Paris that was intended for both the medical/scientific community and the food industry; it’s unusual to bring both groups together, but very important as these groups must be allies in finding workable solutions for this epidemic.  On my way out of the conference, I picked up a magazine that featured a myriad of ingredients for the food industry to use in making functional foods. 

What’s a functional food????  Don’t all foods have functions???? Well, this somewhat annoying term has been used for the last several years to refer to foods that have components that function to optimize health or combat a specific disease.  I’m looking through this magazine now, and there is an amazing array of “functional” ingredients to be added.  Here’s just a few: wild green oat extract, grapeseed, bilberry, ribose, soy isoflavones, calcium, acacia, green tea extract, lycopene,  plant sterols….that’s just from the first few pages…the list goes on and on!  I see two problems here.  First, not all of these are supported by high quality data (or, in some cases, any published data!) and there is often no way for a consumer to discern “snake-oil” from legitimate claims.  Second, even if we limit our interest to legitimate claims, we are faced with more “functional” ingredients and additives than we can possibly consume.  SO….here’s a thought: eat real food!  Impressed with the benefits of green tea?  Fine, go ahead and drink some…we don’t have to extract its “functionality” and create a supplement or food additive.  Think soy is going to help your heart?  OK…enjoy some edamame or tofu.  You get the picture. 

Here’s another thought.  Want calcium?  You can try and sort through all of the calcium-fortified foods in the grocery store, from breakfast cereal to orange juice, or….try some milk!  Milk really is the ultimate (and original) functional food, and its benefits extend far beyond the calcium it contains.  We now know that milk not only helps build and maintain healthy skeletons, but can help reduce our risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.  More next week on milk as a functional food.