Functional foods are trending because they often work. Science has shown us over and over again the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and nuts, or more specifically the phytochemicals nutrients found in these foods. And science is also discovering what thousands of years of herbal medicine across cultures have known: herbs have powerful effects on the body, and can be healing agents. High-quality functional foods bridge the gap between a highly beneficial ingredient and the person who doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to take herbs like ginkgo biloba. This is why we are seeing products like mushroom chocolate and gummies with B vitamins; they can be effective and they are meeting a direct consumer need for better health.

Not all functional food products are created equal. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as choosing a product with functional food or ingredient on the label. Many times products are “pixie-dusted”, which means they contain trace or negligible amounts of the functional ingredient. Other times the product won’t contain an absorbable, or usable form of the functional food. One example of this is turmeric. The active compound of turmeric, curcumin, is notoriously difficult to absorb since it’s fat-soluble, and human digestion is water-based.

Functional foods are all the rage these days. You’ve likely seen these words on products in the grocery store or being advertised online. Many of these products come with promises of better health and claim to solve problems like low energy, poor libido, high stress, anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness. So, what makes a food functional? The Mayo Clinic defines functional food as “…foods that have a potentially positive effect on health beyond nutrition.”.