Fuctional Foods

Article on "Functional Foods"

Stick to Whole and minimally processed foods...

Eating Your Way to Health - New York Times:
By MELANIE WARNER

"Marketing surveys also show that more Americans are interested in natural solutions to health issues.

"People are getting nervous about pharmaceuticals," said Faith Popcorn, who runs BrainReserve, a marketing company. "If it's food, people trust it more. And people are also so happy to hear that something they love to eat is also good for them."

Ms. Popcorn cites the Vioxx situation - in which millions of pain sufferers were told that the anti-inflammatory drugs they were taking might increase their risk of heart attacks - and the high price of drugs as factors spurring consumers to seek out drug-free remedies.

According to a BrainReserve survey in 2004, 65 percent of people said they were using diet to treat an illness, whether through a low-fat regimen, a diet of organic food or a higher intake of certain kinds of food.

While many scientists promote the healing powers of a diet based on whole grains and lots of fruits and vegetables, some are skeptical of the idea that specific conditions should be treated through packaged food products."