<\/p>\n
Y<\/span>You are at the grocery store and looking for a sweet snack. But these days, Chocolate Corner promises more than that. Mental clarity, a stronger immune system, PMS relief, and even sexual stamina are all achieved in some squares.<\/p>\n Chocolate isn’t the only snack that can be reinvented as a wellness product. Supermarket shelves are now stocked with protein-boosted crisps, gut-friendly sodas and collagen oatmeal. These are all part of the fast-growing “functional food” market expected to reach $586 billion globally by 2030.<\/p>\n Functional foods have been around for decades, but are becoming newly popular. Marion Nestle, a professor emeritus of nutrition, food research and public health at New York University, said consumers are becoming more health conscious, weight loss drugs are changing people’s eating habits and tight household budgets are making it harder to justify non-essentials.<\/p>\n “This is a perfect storm,” Nestl\u00e9 said. “This is the era of wellness influencers. You can debate whether the science has anything to do with it.”<\/p>\n So, do soup-laced snacks actually change our brains and bodies, or is the explosion of functional foods just another wellness fad?<\/p>\n There is no regulatory definition of “functional food” and the term means different things to different people. However, nutritionists generally agree that the term refers to foods that not only provide basic nutrition, but also provide specific health benefits or strengthen body processes.<\/p>\n This category includes whole foods like blueberries, which contain vitamin C and fiber, as well as metabolites that, according to early research, may protect the brain as we age. Functional foods also include processed foods such as vitamin A-fortified rice, yogurt with prebiotics, and energy drinks.<\/p>\n According to market research firm Lumina Intelligence, functional foods have entered a new era in recent years, with additions of protein, fiber, vitamins, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals such as magnesium becoming mainstream.<\/p>\n Other ingredients are niche but on the rise, said Flora Zwolinski, insights leader at Lumina, which analyzes food and nutrition trends. These include nootropics, compounds that may support cognitive function by increasing signals between neurons (such as caffeine, lion’s mane mushrooms, and L-theanine), and adaptogens, which are herbs used to help the body cope with stress (such as ashwagandha and reishi mushrooms).<\/p>\n “We’re seeing a growth in these products that claim they can support very specific health goals, whether it’s energy, focus, immunity, or just good old-fashioned weight loss and muscle gain, but overall health that’s much more balanced,” Zwolinski said.<\/p>\n Most of the additives in functional foods are nutrients that we actually need. For example, protein is an essential macronutrient that allows cells to grow and repair. Most people don’t get enough fiber, which is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. Magnesium also plays more than 300 roles in the body, helping with everything from blood sugar control to bone health.<\/p>\n But nutritionists say the extra nutrients and probiotics added to functional foods may not be enough to actually improve our diets and health. And when it comes to trendy additives like lion’s mane and collagen, the doses are often far below those studied in clinical trials.<\/p>\n According to a 2019 book on the regulation of functional foods, less than 0.1% of dietary supplements and functional foods were found to be effective in randomized, placebo-controlled studies. A 2024 Japanese analysis found that most functional food trials either do not publish their results or selectively report results that favor them.<\/p>\n Nestl\u00e9 said there was “surprisingly little evidence” behind functional food claims. “It has nothing to do with science. It’s about marketing.”<\/p>\n Highly processed functional foods are “not very expensive” in terms of nutrition, says Grace DeRoca, a nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.<\/p>\n If you’re considering adding them to your diet, keep in mind that not all functional foods are created equal. DeRoca says it’s better to consume foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed, such as oatmeal or kombucha, because our bodies can absorb nutrients from them more effectively.<\/p>\n In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has three categories for food and supplement claims:<\/p>\n The first are health claims that link nutrients to disease (\u201cCalcium reduces the risk of osteoporosis\u201d). The second is the nutrient content claim, which specifies the amount of a nutrient in the food (\u201cMilk is rich in calcium\u201d). The third is a structural or functional label that explains how the nutrient affects the body (\u201cCalcium builds stronger bones\u201d).<\/p>\n Each category has different rules.<\/p>\n Companies can make functionality claims without prior FDA approval, as long as they are not false or misleading.<\/p>\n In contrast, companies must contact the FDA before making health claims, and certain criteria must be met to make nutrient content claims. For example, for a food to be a “good source” of a nutrient, vitamin, or mineral, it must contain at least 20% of the recommended daily amount.<\/p>\n Food companies can make functional claims even if their products are otherwise unhealthy, for example if they have added protein but high levels of salt, saturated fat, or cholesterol. However, in such cases, health claims are not allowed and the nutrition facts label must include a disclaimer, so food manufacturers often opt for functional claims instead.<\/p>\n In the UK, there are different categories and rules for food labeling. Certain nutrition claims are permitted (for example, \u201clow fat\u201d is permitted if the product has 30% less fat compared to similar products), as are health claims supported by pre-approved evidence (\u201cIron contributes to normal cognitive function\u201d). However, food labels do not promise that the product will prevent, treat, or cure a medical condition, or promise weight loss.<\/p>\n <\/gu-island><\/p>\n It is possible for food companies to make uncontroversial inflated claims, but in some cases the FDA or Federal Trade Commission may decide to crack down.<\/p>\n When it comes to health claims, for example, in 2010 the FTC forced Danone to retract “exaggerated” claims that its yogurt and milk drinks were scientifically proven to soothe intestinal upsets and prevent colds and flu. The FTC said Danone has no evidence to support these claims.<\/p>\n Functional claims, while less specific than health claims, are a more ambiguous area in the United States. Supplement manufacturers are required to report functionality claims to the FDA, but food companies do not. The agency also does not clarify what constitutes a false or misleading statement. This means food companies are free to make plausible vague promises on packaging with little oversight.<\/p>\n In the UK, almost all nutrition and health claims must be approved.<\/p>\n Please take these claims with a grain of salt. A look at the ingredient list and nutrition label will give you detailed information about whether that turbocharged soda, cracker, or coffee creamer is suitable for your health goals, or whether it’s best enjoyed as is.<\/p>\n Nutritionist DeRocca said things like high-protein granola bars are harmless for most people, as long as they eat an overall balanced diet and get protein in other ways.<\/p>\n “Not all products labeled as ‘functional’ are truly effective, so be careful what you’re actually putting into your body,” says DeRoca.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n #Protein #chips #sex #chocolate #functional #foods #promote #health<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" YYou are at the grocery store and looking for a sweet snack. But these days, Chocolate Corner promises more than that. Mental clarity, a stronger immune system, PMS relief, and even sexual stamina are all achieved in some squares. Chocolate isn’t the only snack that can be reinvented as a wellness product. Supermarket shelves are … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,484],"tags":[61,562,752,751,173,753,623,750],"class_list":["post-523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-nutrition","tag-chips","tag-chocolate","tag-foods","tag-functional","tag-health","tag-promote","tag-protein","tag-sex"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picsura.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What are functional foods?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Is it worth adding processed functional foods to my diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What are the rules for labeling functional foods?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What happens if a food company makes misleading health or functionality claims?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How should I understand functional food labels?<\/strong><\/h2>\n