Functional Foods

Functional Foods
Key Knowledge: New and emerging foods, including
functional foods and foods to meet particular dietary
requirements and food intolerances
Work Tasks for this topic:
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Functional Foods Powerpoint slides and complete advertisement
analysis and research.
Functional Foods- Chapter 13 review questions, 1-20.
Checkpoints questions 109
Glossary completion
Functional Foods: Glossary
Term
Functional Food
Food Intolerance
Lactose Intolerance
Gluten Intolerance
Coeliac Disease
Osteoporosis
Stevia
Plant Sterol
Omega 3 DHA
Hi Maize
High Cholesterol
Definition
Functional Foods

According to FSANZ, functional foods are similar in
appearance to conventional foods and are intended
to be consumed as part of a normal diet, but are
modified to serve physiological roles beyond the
provision of simple nutrient requirements.
◦ Functional foods may be classified in to three key
groups.
 Foods that contain higher amounts of nutrients than are found in
conventional foods. (e.g calcium enriched milk)
 Foods that are marketed and sold on their health promoting
qualities, frequently due to the addition of some ingredient that is
not usually found in the food.
 Food that contain a reduced amount of their traditional nutrients
(e.g low KJ, reduced sugar/fat etc)
http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/articles/2009/september/supermarket-sleuth-functional-foods
Functional Foods: Food or
Medicine?

Science has moved beyond recognising
and fixing nutritional deficiencies to
creating foods that enhance optimal
health and decrease the risk of disease.
 Foods to address dietary needs for food
intolerances and sensitivities.
 Foods for increased or optimum bowel, heart, brain
or eye health.
 Foods to address disease or to reduce risk of
disease such as high cholesterol, heart disease,
osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity.
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Food Solutions Chapter 13 Q 1- 2
Checkpoints Q 109
Food Intolerance/Sensitivities
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A food intolernce or sensitivity is an unpleasant
reaction to a certain food, which can lead to
varying symptoms but it is not life threatening.
◦ Lactose Intolerance: unable to digest the sugar
present in milk as they have insufficient lactase
enzymes in the gut. Symptoms include bloating and
diarrhoea.
◦ Gluten Intolerance/Coeliac Disease: consuming
gluten (the protein found in wheat, oats, barley and
rye) damages the villi of the small intestine preventing
the absorption of nutrients. Symptoms include
nausea, cramping, bloating, anaemia and diarrhoea.
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List 3 foods available on the market for each of the above sensitivities
Food Solutions Chapter 13 Q 18-20
Optimum Bowel health:
Prebiotics and Probiotics
Probiotics and prebiotics work together to enhance your digestive health.
Read Food Solutions Chapter 13 page 230-233 Q4 – 10
BARLEYmax activity 14.3 handout
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Probiotics are live, friendly bacteria such as Bifidobacteria
and Lactobacilli that assist the functioning of the digestive
system and increase our immunity; they increase the level
of good bacteria in the body and metabolise food and
toxins more efficiently
◦ E.g Yoghurt, Yakult, Inner Health plus.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV0lQFK_gzE
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOhRtp7g9wU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjPvSpKh5oI
Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that pass undigested
through the body until they reach the bowel. In the bowel, prebiotics
ferment and become food for probiotics.
◦ E.g dietary fibre, resistant starch, non-starch polysaccharides.
◦ Products include Hi-Maize (corn) (wonder white, up and go) and
BarleyMAX
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NDn0RszWGc
◦
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qra7dI1e_M
Optimum Eye, Brain and Heart
health: Omega 3 Fats
Read Food Solutions Chapter 13 page 234-235 Q11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b46yLkYOO4
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Omega 3 fatty acids improve eye function, regulate
heart function and are important for infant brain
development and ongoing mental health
Fish oil is a good source of omega-3 fats, which are
considered essential to human health.
However, due to its smell, flavour and chemical
instability (susceptibility to oxidation), fish oil has
limited use as an ingredient in food products
The technological development of microencapsulation
has enabled omega-3 fats to be used as a food
ingredient by encasing microscopic droplets of fish oil
in thin but tough biodegradable films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGm7KZ_R0yI
Reduced Cholesterol Absorption:
Plant Sterols
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Read Food Solutions Chapter 13 page 235-236
Q 12,13
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It has been estimated that 51% of Australians
over 25 have high cholesterol.
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Build up of bad (LDL) cholesterol sticks to the
walls of the arteries of the heart causing them
to build up plaque.
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Plant sterols are naturally present in plants and
inhibit the absorbtion of LDL cholesterol
through the small intestine by helping it pass
straight through the body.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY1k_T8TgaE#t=10
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhVOWhAjclM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icENgpIEGBQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLGxDqoDFGY
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUychieJ1n8
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFBHCoLn084
Foods for weight management
Read Food Solutions Chapter 13 page
236-237 Q 14-16
 Fat reduced- e.g low fat milks,
cheese, yoghurt etc.
 Sugar reduced- e.g low Kj Jams,
Yoghurt etc.
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◦ Stevia-
 Natural product
 250-300 times sweeter than sugar however
calorie free.
 Approved for use in Australia in 2008
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNs9
gIyUiEw
Foods enriched with ingredients to
prevent other disease
Read Food Solutions Chapter 13 page 238-239 Q 17
 Osteoporosis: Calcium enriched milks to prevent the
degenerative disease of the bones leading to reduced bone
mass and increased risk of fractures.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbibMZo5T3A
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Spina Bifida: Breads fortified with folate to reduce risk of
neural tube defects in babies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3Jesw_2u4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSSsRo2n4g
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Iodine deficiency: Breads fortified with iodine to combat
iodine deficiency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8eHJLAOD1Y
Neutraceuticals
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Components that are found naturally in
foods that provide a health benefit; these
components are referred to as bioactives. E.g
◦ Lycopene, an antioxidant found predominantly
in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables
that decreases the risk of prostate cancer and
possibly cardiovascular disease.
◦ Flavonoids, A group of chemical compounds
found naturally in particular fruits, vegetables,
teas, wines, seeds and nuts. Display antioxidant
effects and reduce risk of heart disease and some
cancers.