Functional food is also playing a role in the prevention and treatment of other medical ailments including neural tube defects, osteoporosis, abnormal bowel function and arthritis. There is no universally accepted definition of functional food. In general however, let s look at it as any potentially healthful food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains. In the past, nutritional benefits may have meant the avoidance of scurvy or goiter or rickets. Now, in the present, it means avoidance of chronic and life-threatening disease.
Nature provides the most natural manifestation of functional food.
Unmodified whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, including the avocado, represent the simplest form of a functional food. These plants provide the naturally occurring, biologically active components that are responsible for the desired health benefits. There are hundreds of naturally occurring phytochemicals including carotenoids, flavonoids, indoles, isoflavones, protease inhibitors. Some have proven benefits, backed by hard science. Others are promising and more research is being conducted.