Top Nutrients in Functional Foods for Health

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Top Nutrients in Functional Foods for Health

Which functional food nutrients are worth your money? The experts weigh in.

We hear a lot about functional foods -- breads, juices, snack bars, yogurt, and even eggs that are fortified with extra nutrients believed helpful to health.

In an ideal world, of course, we would get these nutrients from whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, and low-fat dairy. But the American diet falls short in variety of nutrients. Functional foods aim to provide health benefits we might achieve if we followed a scientific guide to eating.

WebMD turned to four nutrition experts to get their advice on functional foods:

Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, Elaine Magee, RD, MPH, author of Tell Me What To Eat If I Suffer From Heart Disease, and nutrition consultants Kerry Neville, MS, RD, Susan Moores, MS, RD.

Here are the top nutrients they say may be worthwhile in functional foods, and why.

Top Functional Food Ingredients

Plant Stanols and Plant Sterols in Functional Foods

What are plant sterols and stanols? Found in plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, plant sterols and plant stanols are compounds that resemble cholesterol chemically.

When they travel through your digestive tract, they get in the way of real cholesterol, thus help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream.

How can functional foods with sterols and stanols help? If you already eat butter, margarine, or oil-based spreads, looking for the kind enhanced with plant stanols or sterols might be a good addition to your diet, says Gerbstadt. It's easy to overdo fats, so eat these margarines and oils in moderation.

How much plant stanols and sterols do you need? A heart-healthy diet should contain two grams of plant sterols and plant sterols daily.

Vitamin D in Functional Foods

What is vitamin D? Vitamin D is a nutrient that works with calcium to keep bones strong and the immune system healthy. 

Research suggests that vitamin D may even help ward off certain cancers, high blood pressure, and depression -- but many of us fall short on this nutrient.

How can functional foods with vitamin D help? Our bodies convert sunlight into vitamin D. 

This critical nutrient is also found in fish, eggs, beef liver, and fish oil. But with our indoor jobs and American diets, few people get enough vitamin D from whole foods. Fortified milk and yogurt may be able to fill the nutrient gap for some of us, says nutrition consultant Neville.

How much vitamin D do you need? Infants need 400 IU of vitamin D daily, while children between 1 and 18 need 600 IU. Adults 19 to 70 need 600 IU. Seniors over 70 should get 800 IU of vitamin D daily.

Calcium in Functional Foods

What is calcium? Calcium is a mineral that helps build bones, conduct nerve impulses, and keep your heart beating. Most Americans do not get enough calcium, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. When your body is short on calcium, it may leach the mineral out of your bones, eventually resulting in osteoporosis.

How can functional foods help? 

If you eat three servings of low-fat dairy daily -- milk, yogurt, cheese -- and you'll probably get all the calcium you need, says Gerbstadt. If you don't eat much dairy, functional foods can make up your calcium deficit. But Gerbstadt warns that calcium from fortified foods may not be absorbed as well as it is from dairy foods.

How much calcium you need? 

Babies need 210 to 270 mg of calcium, while children under age 8 need 500 to 800 mg. After age 9, kids need 1,300 mg. Most adults should get 1,000 mg of calcium.

Fiber in Functional Foods

What is fiber? Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate in plants that helps us feel full, keeps us regular, and may even lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. This is another nutrient most of us don't get enough of, according to the USDA dietary guidelines.

How can functional foods help? 

Registered dietitian Moores stresses that a healthy diet should include whole foods loaded with fiber, such as beans, vegetables, and whole grains. On top of that, "fiber added to bread or cereal can be a good thing," she says. But it's not clear if fiber, when added to foods, offers the same health benefits as it does from whole food sources, according to the USDA.

How much fiber do you need? 

Women need 25 grams of fiber daily, while men should get 38 grams a day. Our bodies need two kinds of fiber. Soluble fiber, which slows digestion, can be found in beans, nuts, and grains. Insoluble fiber, which helps food pass through the body, and can be found in vegetables and whole grains.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Functional Foods

What are omega-3 fatty acids? Omega-3s include the essential fatty acids known as DHA and EPA, which our bodies need for proper functioning of our brains and nerve development. Research suggests they may help improve memory and mood. They may also reduce the risk of heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are found naturally in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, cod, and sardines. 

They're also found, in lower amounts, in nuts and seeds like walnuts, almonds, and flax.

How can functional foods help? 

Omega-3s are added to many functional foods these days, from eggs to soy to cereal. The problem is: The most commonly added omega-3 is alpha-linolenic (ALA) acid, which may not have the same health benefits as DHA and EPA. Also, many functional foods don't contain significant amounts of omega-3s, says Gerbstadt. She recommends taking supplements if you want to boost your levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  

How much omega-3s do you need? For health benefits, you should get between 7 and 11 grams of omega-3 fatty acids each week. There are 2 grams in a 4-ounce serving of salmon.

Before you head to the store to buy functional foods, keep this in mind: Nutrition experts say most of the nutrients we need should come from whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, fish, and lean meat. The health benefits we get from complex combinations of micronutrients in whole foods may not be the same from fortified foods. 

However, if you think you could use a nutritional boost, ask your doctor if functional foods can help you get the specific nutrients you need.