It can adjust our body function to the best condition.
I. Definition of functional food
Functional food is an industrialized food that emphasizes that its ingredients can give full play to the body's defense function, regulate physiological rhythm, prevent diseases and promote rehabilitation. It must meet the following four requirements:
1. Non-toxic and harmless, meeting the nutritional requirements.
2. Its function must be clear and specific, and it must be confirmed by scientific verification. At the same time, its function can not replace normal dietary intake and the need for various essential nutrients.
3. Functional foods are usually developed and produced for specific people who need to adjust some aspects of their body functions.
4. It is not for the purpose of treatment, and cannot replace the therapeutic effect of drugs on patients.
Functional food is sometimes called health food. In academic and scientific research, it is more scientific to call it "functional food".
Second, the classification of functional foods
(A) by consumer classification
1. Daily functional food
It is designed according to the physiological characteristics and nutritional needs of different healthy consumption groups (such as infants, students and the elderly), with the aim of promoting growth and development, maintaining vitality and energy, and emphasizing that its components can give full play to the body's defense function and regulate physiological rhythm. It is divided into daily functional foods for babies, daily functional foods for students and daily functional foods for the elderly.
(1) Daily functional food for infants and young children
We should perfectly meet the needs of the rapid growth of infants for various nutrients and trace active substances, and promote the healthy growth of infants.
(2) Students' daily functional food
It should be able to promote students' intellectual development and promote the brain to cope with intense study and life with vigorous energy.
(3) Daily functional food for the elderly
The following requirements should be met: enough protein, enough dietary fiber, enough vitamins and enough mineral elements, low sugar, low fat, low cholesterol and low sodium.
2. Special functional food
It focuses on the physical condition of some special consumer groups, and emphasizes the regulatory role of food in preventing diseases and promoting rehabilitation, such as functional food for losing weight, functional food for improving immune regulation, functional food for beautifying, etc.
(2) Classification by scientific and technological content
1. First generation products (fortified food)
The first generation products were mainly fortified foods. According to the nutritional needs of all kinds of people, it adds nutritional ingredients to food in a targeted manner. This kind of food only infers the functions of the whole product according to the functions of various nutrients and other effective ingredients in the food, and these functions have not been confirmed by any experiment. At present, European and American countries have classified such products as ordinary foods for management, and China does not allow them to be listed and sold in the form of health food.
2. Second generation products (primary products)
The second generation products need human and animal tests to prove that the products have some physiological functions. At present, most health foods on the domestic market belong to this category.
3. Third generation products (advanced products)
The third generation products not only need to be proved to have a certain physiological function through human and animal experiments, but also need to find out the functional components with this function, as well as the structure, content, mechanism of action, compatibility and stability in food. This kind of products are rare in China's existing market, and most of the functional ingredients are imported from abroad, lacking their own systematic research.
Third, the regulatory function of functional food on human body function.
Functional food not only has two functions of nutrition and sensory enjoyment of ordinary food, but also has a third function of regulating physiological activities, which mainly has the following functions:
1. Enhance immunity;
2. delay aging;
3. Assisting in lowering blood fat;
4. Assisting in lowering blood sugar;
5. Anti-oxidation;
Step 6 help improve memory
7. Relieve visual fatigue;
8. Promote lead discharge;
9. clear your throat;
10. Assist in lowering blood pressure;
1 1. Improve sleep;
12. Promote lactation;
13. Relieve physical fatigue;
14. Improve hypoxia tolerance;
15. Auxiliary protection against radiation hazards;
16. Lose weight;
17. Promote growth and development;
18. Increase bone density;
19. Improve nutritional anemia;
20. It has auxiliary protective effect on chemical liver injury.
2 1. Eliminate acne;
22. Get rid of chloasma;
23. Improve skin moisture;
24. Improve skin oil production;
25. Regulating intestinal flora;
26. Promote digestion;
27. laxatives;
28. It has auxiliary protective effect on gastric mucosa.
Fourth, the difference between functional food and medicine.
There is a strict difference between functional food and medicine, and functional food cannot be used as an intermediate product or a drug-containing product between food and medicine.
The difference between functional food and medicine is mainly reflected in:
1. Drugs are used to treat diseases, while functional foods are not for the purpose of treatment and cannot replace the therapeutic effect of drugs on patients. Functional food focuses on regulating the internal environment balance and physiological rhythm of the body and enhancing the body's defense function, thus achieving the purpose of health care and rehabilitation.
2. Functional foods should reach the basic non-toxic or non-toxic level in modern toxicology, and should not bring any toxic or side effects within the normal intake range. As a medicine, it is allowed to have a certain degree of toxic and side effects.
3. Functional food does not need a doctor's prescription, and there is no dose limit, so it can be freely ingested according to the normal needs of the body.