Examples of Functional Foods

In the previous steps you have learnt what functional foods are and how they are related to our health. In this article, we show you two examples of functional foods that you can easily find in the supermarket to understand what these products are and why they are called functional foods.

Vegetable Fat Spread with Added Plant Sterols.

The first example is a vegetable fat spread with added plant sterols:

Flora Pro-Activ Vegetable Fat Spread

In the list of ingredients of this product we can find: Water, Plant oils (30%) (sunflower, palm, linseed, rapeseed), plant sterol esters (11%) *, salt (1%), emulsifiers (mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids, sunflower lecitin), natural flavourings, vitamin A and D. *6,6 plant sterols/100 g

Among these ingredients, plant sterols esters is the functional ingredient of this food, but, what are plant sterols? And how do plant sterols work?

Plant sterols and stanols are a group of substances, similar to cholesterol, which occur in plants and vary only in carbon side chains and/or presence or absence of a double bond. Stanols are saturated sterols, having no double bonds in the sterol ring structure. More than 200 sterols and related compounds have been identified so far. Plant sterols and stanols work by reducing the absorption of cholesterol from the gut, thereby reducing blood cholesterol levels as stated in several clinical trials.

Therefore, the European Commission has approved a health claim for this functional ingredient:

plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease.

• Check with your doctor first if you are already taking cholesterol lowering medication, or if you have especially dietary needs.
• Not suitable for pregnant or breast-feeding women and child under 5.
• Consumption of more than 3 g/day of added plant sterols or stanols should be avoided.

Lactose Free Milk Enriched with Vitamin A and D

Lactose Free Milk

Calcium and vitamin D help reduce mineral bone loss in postmenopausal women. Low mineral bone density is a risk factor for bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis.

Calcium and vitamin D are necessary for normal bone growth and development in children.

Finally, this milk is also fortified with vitamin A, which is involved in immune function, vision, reproduction, or cellular communication.