Healthy eating: What should we eat?
Healthy foods, superfoods, functional foods, nutraceuticals, supplements, or dietary complements are all concepts widely used today; however, for our daily diet, what foods should we consume for healthy eating? What makes each of these concepts different?
The hectic pace of modern life, coupled with the widespread consumption of processed foods, has led to an obesity epidemic, defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that can be detrimental to health. Consequently, current nutritional approaches focus on preventing chronic non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, to name just two, where diet and lifestyle are considered the root causes of the illness.
People expect to achieve or maintain their health and well-being through the food they consume. Interest lies in the relationship between diet and chronic non-communicable diseases, as well as the effects of nutrition on cognitive and immune function, work capacity, and athletic performance. Consumers are increasingly aware of their self-care and seek out products that contribute to their health and well-being. Following this trend, consumers are receiving abundant information about the "healthy" properties of superfoods, so-called functional foods, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements. The question then arises: How can we recognize each of these?
Healthy Foods
Healthy foods are defined as those that, in their natural state or with minimal processing, contain compounds with beneficial properties for health. The body needs proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and numerous other substances and nutrients provided by food to function properly. But these are not only necessary for carrying out daily activities; a proper food selection and planning can prevent numerous diseases and conditions that often arise precisely from the consumption of unhealthy foods, such as diets high in saturated fats or sugary drinks.
Superfoods
It's a trendy term that refers to foods whose nutritional potential or value makes them very interesting from a health perspective due to their high concentration of antioxidants, healthy fats, or vitamins. Although in most cases these are foods that have always existed, in recent years "their potential has begun to be recognized." Examples include green juices, moringa, seeds or berries, broccoli, turmeric, ginger, and avocado. Some are more well-known, such as extra virgin olive oil. or the Legumes, and others not so much, like quinoa. One characteristic of superfoods is that nothing is added to them, neither nutrients nor additives.
No single food is inherently better than another. But if you want to have a healthy diet Fats should be reduced and vegetables, grains, and proteins increased on the plate. Harvard University created a list of superfoods that can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer when combined as part of a healthy diet. “These superfoods offer very important nutrients that can enhance your meals and snacks, and further improve a healthy eating pattern.” This group also includes fish such as salmon and tuna, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, and blueberries, among others.
Functional Foods.
They are defined as "modified foods or foods containing an ingredient that demonstrates an action that increases an individual's well-being or reduces the risk of disease, beyond the traditional function of the nutrients they contain." They are also defined as "foods that, by virtue of the presence of biologically active components, provide health benefits beyond the classic action of nutrients." These definitions are generic, allowing any food to meet the criteria, thus diminishing the specificity of the term "functional." The International Food Information Center (IFIC) defines them as "products to which a specific compound is intentionally added to enhance their health properties."
A familiar example of a functional food is oats, as they contain soluble fiber that can lower cholesterol. Some foods are modified to provide health benefits; examples include orange juice fortified with calcium to promote bone health, probiotics (characterized by their live microorganisms), prebiotics, and synbiotics, among others. These are often presented as everyday foods enriched with specific nutrients or substances beneficial to health.
Nutraceutical Foods
A nutraceutical food can be defined as a dietary supplement containing a concentrated bioactive natural substance, usually found in foods, which, when taken in doses higher than those found in those foods, presumably has a greater beneficial effect on health than the regular food itself. They are marketed in the form of pills, capsules, powders, and other forms; for human consumption as nutritional supplements, not as a replacement for the daily diet, and differ from medications in that the latter do not have a natural biological origin.
Some representative examples are: folic acid, which, when taken before pregnancy and during the first trimester, can reduce the occurrence of neural tube defects in the fetus.
The three main omega-3 fatty acids are: ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These fatty acids help reduce cholesterol carried by LDL (low-density lipoproteins) and promote an increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which clean the arteries by removing excess cholesterol from the tissues to the liver.
Other examples include resveratrol, found in purple, blue, and red fruits, as well as in red wine; carotenoids such as beta-carotene (which acts as a pro-vitamin A), lycopene, and lutein. These substances decrease oxidative stress, reducing LDL oxidation and systolic blood pressure (more commonly known as high blood pressure readings). Carotenoids also participate in the formation of vitamin A, also known as retinol, which produces the pigments in the retina of the eye.
Food supplements or dietary supplements
By definition, they are products used to complement the diet, which carry or contain ingredients beneficial to health such as vitamins, minerals, plant or botanical species, amino acids, extracts and concentrates, among others, which are used to supplement the diet by increasing the daily intake of these substances
They are generally presented in the form of pills, capsules, tablets, or liquids. They are not conventional food products, nor are they the sole product to be ingested as food. They are supplements added in non-food formats . label as "Food supplements" can be of natural or synthetic chemical origin and may include medicinal substances legally approved for that purpose.
What foods should we eat for a healthy diet?
While no single food provides all the nutrients humans need, some should certainly be considered allies due to their beneficial properties. However, it's a mistake to believe that consuming only these products allows us to neglect the rest of our diet. No superfood, supplement, nutraceutical, or functional food provides everything the body needs. It does not prevent any disease on its own , nor does it fix what a poor selection of ingredients has ruined.
As nutritionists never tire of repeating, menus should contain a wide variety of ingredients to ensure the intake of all nutrients and avoid imbalances associated with the restricted consumption of a few foods.
If, due to any circumstance (vegetarianism, veganism, pregnancy, or a special condition), a nutrient is needed, it should be chosen intelligently, taking into account that, while they can promote well-being, they cannot compensate for unhealthy eating habits.
It's important to remember that using any product in specific situations does not replace maintaining a balanced diet or healthy eating habits; nor does it replace the need for special attention in patients with chronic conditions, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, young children, and the elderly. If you have any questions...ask a specialist!
Ramon Avila Nuñez, PhD