Health Canada’s definition

Health Canada defines Functional Food as:

“... foods that are represented or demonstrated to have special health benefits, in addition to providing basic nutrients and nutritional benefits.”

Health Canada includes three specific categories within their definition of functional food:

• conventional foods contain naturally occurring bioactive substances (such as dietary fibre in wheat bran to promote digestive regularity, or beta-glucan in oat bran to lower blood cholesterol)
• foods that have been modified, by enrichment or other means, in terms of the amount, type or nature of their bioactive substances. An example is orange juice with added calcium to provide a source of bone-building calcium for people who do not drink milk.
• synthesized food ingredients, such as some specialised carbohydrates intended to feed microorganisms in the gut.

Yogurt as Functional Food

Functional Foods came to prominence with the introduction of Probiotic yogurts. These are yogurts enriched with specifically chosen micro-organisms (active bifido cultures) that create a microbial healthy balance in the intestines. These probiotic food ingredients continue to be widely used in dairy products worldwide.

Good Nutrition and Functional Food

Functional foods must not be seen as the answer to unhealthy diets; in fact they are most effective when consumed in the context of a well- balanced diet. Guylaine Ferland, PhD of the University of Montreal conducted a study into diet and aging. In her article “New Frontiers for Functional foods?” (abstract published on Health Canada website Food Program 2000/11/24) she noted that because older individuals have a lower total food intake, which translates into lower intake of various nutrients, they often suffer from a deficient or inadequate diet. Dr. Ferland added “Nutrient-added foods and functional foods represent a potentially efficient means of increasing the daily intake of nutrients and achieving diets that meet dietary recommendations.”

Wellness bread is a functional food because it contains the important prebiotic food ingredient inulin. To give you more information about Functional Foods we have put together a list of health links which you may find useful.