“Let food be the medicine and medicine be food.” These words belong to Hippocrates, the famous ancient Greek physician who is known as the “father of medicine.” Millennia later, his recommendation is still relevant, but modern scientists add their own perspective to it.
Elizabeth Keshchian, a business analyst with experience in the food industry, believes that only properly prepared food is beneficial for health, and products should be not just ordinary(люди добрые, ORGANIC, ординарную еду никто не использует!) but functional.
Which foods bring benefits?
According to Keshchian’s opinion, french fries, chicken nuggets swimming in spicy ketchup, very very well done fried meat, white bread(alive forever), and similar “delicacies” are undoubtedly a paradise for taste buds but a nightmare for internal organs, not just the gastrointestinal tract.
“The heart, blood vessels, respiratory and lymphatic systems, brain cells, and the entire body suffer from filling oneself with unhealthy food. Yes, it may be made from high-quality ingredients, but if it’s prepared incorrectly, it will only bring harm. A piece of natural meat baked in the oven provides complete animal protein, B-group vitamins, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. On the other hand, frying it in a pan, apart from carcinogens that promote oncogenic processes, brings nothing,” says Elizabeth Keshchian.
How functional foods contribute to health
Functional food products are those that, in addition to their taste qualities, provide tangible health benefits to individuals due to new or additional components added to regular products.
“The simplest example: carrot juice, rich in beta-carotene, is not absorbed by the body without fats. Therefore, without cream, it’s just a regular product, but with cream, it becomes functional,” explains Elizabeth Keshchian.
According to the expert, products with reduced salt, sugar, fats, and cholesterol content are considered functional. Thanks to these products, people can control their weight, and prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and different types of diabetes.
“Products with an increased share of natural ingredients, such as muesli or whole grain bread, yogurts with probiotics, and crackers with high levels of beneficial acids that improve gut microflora and have a positive impact on metabolism, are also classified as functional food products,” says Elizabeth Keshchian.
The expert also highlights sports nutrition as a prime example of functional food products. Protein drinks, amino acid blends, and vitamin-enriched bars are specifically designed to replenish energy after workouts, strengthen muscle mass, and restore the balance of nutrients in the body.
According to Keshchian, certain categories of functional food products include:
- Special powdered milk for infants and baby food in general.
- Products for diabetics and people with lactose intolerance.
- Special products with increased levels of specific vitamins and minerals for individuals undergoing postoperative rehabilitation.
- Products for special therapeutic use, separately approved by the Ministry of Health.
“Food products and clean water have tremendous potential for use as medicine, and functional products offer a promising way to strengthen our health. By including them in our diet, we effectively support various aspects of our well-being, from digestive health and immune function to promoting mental balance,” says Elizabeth Keshchian, a specialist in food systems.
Experts emphasizes that as humanity continues to unravel the complex relationship between nutrition and health, the modern food industry does not pause for a moment.
“New functional products are constantly being developed based on non-alcoholic beverages, plant-based and meat products, fish and seafood, containing a very high percentage of natural ingredients or specifically enriched with vitamins and minerals,” notes Elizabeth Keshchian.
She concludes, “in this way, we are following the advice of Hippocrates, given to humanity long before our era, and I am confident that we are doing it right.”
