Functional Foods

Newswise — Foods that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, identified as functional foods, are becoming a key part of everyday life, according to a new article appearing in Food Technology, a publication of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Here's a few highlights; for the complete article click on the link below:

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/539944/?sc=mwhn

New superfoods include:
• Blood Oranges
• Goji Berries (pictured above)
• Seabuckthorn
• Mangosteens
• Garbanzo Beans
• Specialty Mushrooms

Studies show that 69 percent of Americans are incorporating foods into a preventative lifestyle, while 27 percent are utilizing food as a treatment to manage a preexisting health condition. One-third of shoppers (36 percent) are trying to reduce the risk of developing a health condition, follow a doctor’s advice (30 percent) or manage/treat a specific condition on their own (25 percent), according to the Food Marketing Institute data.

Many consumers are taking a simpler, more-natural approach to the foods they eat, looking for foods with only a few ingredients and as fresh and close to the farm as time and budget will allow. Hormones topped the list of ingredients that consumers were least comfortable consuming.

Organic food and beverages sales grew 13 percent in 2007 and are expected to continue at double-digit growth through 2008. Consumers believe local products are fresher, have fewer pesticides, and in general are of higher quality.

We think great-grandma would agree.