Q: Nowadays we hear a lot about ‘functional foods’. Could you explain the meaning of functional foods? What is their relevance to our health and how are they different from normal foods?

RD, Calcutta.

Functional foods are those which provide additional health-promoting benefits apart from basic nutrition. Such foods improve the physiological functions of the body as well as prevent or reduce the risk of diseases. A functional food rarely contains new ingredients — rather it differs from normal foods in that the substances, that are known to have a beneficial action, are incorporated into it in a palatable form. The food is then patented and marketed in an attractive way. Functional food research begins where nutrition research ends. After the beneficial effect of a particular ingredient has been established, a functional food is developed by incorporating the said ingredient into an ordinary food by using food technology. Thus a functional food is basically the translation of nutritional knowledge into a commercial product with appropriate health claims. Here, marketing plays an important role. During purchase, consumers must be careful about the health claims made as they may do more harm than good. Since more people are becoming health-conscious, it is in the interest of both the industry and the public that importance is being given to functional foods as an opportunity to improve health. Functional foods may come as dietary supplements or as normal foods enriched with health promoting ingredients.

Q: It is known that Vitamin C helps to increase our immunity. Are there any other means by which we can boost our immunity?

PC, Jamshedpur.

A weak immune system can lead to disasters for your body. It is a matter of concern that few people are aware of it and fewer still take the right steps to improve and maintain their immunity. One major reason for the deterioration of our immune system is our unhealthy lifestyle. Stress, lack of adequate sleep, faulty food habits, sedentary life and indiscriminate use of certain drugs — all contribute to the breakdown of our immune system. One must ensure that meals are taken at proper time as an irregular food pattern happens to be a significant cause for poor immunity in most people, especially those with hectic lifestyle and erratic working hours.

A balanced diet which contains plenty of fresh veggies and fruits and is low on calorie-concentrated processed foodstuffs helps to improve our immunity. Adequate intake of Trace-elements (vitamins and minerals ) will also enhance the immune system. Care must be taken about hygiene as well, for repeated stomach infections may hamper immunity slowly.