We have discussed foods in general, but what are “functional foods”

It is a term that gets bantered about by people who are food
scientists or food companies that are talking about different kinds
of foods. Usually when they are talking about a functional food it
is a food analog, which is a food that has been put together by a
food manufacturer. It might also be called a nutraceutical.
Functional foods can also be natural foods which have been found
to be beneficial for a specific purpose.
Some companies manufacture internal tube feeding formulas for
hospital use. The composition of the product contains all the
nutrition in the right proportions for protein and amino acids plus
fat with the right fatty acids and the right vitamins and minerals
and you put all that together and it has a particular food
functionality.
There are foods that are designed to resolve particular health
problems. Let’s take something common like lactose intolerance,
people have trouble digesting the lactose because they are
missing an enzyme called lactaid. So an example of a functional
food would be a food that was put together without any milk
protein or lactose sugar. It functions with that person who is
lactose intolerant. You can take that example and apply it to
anyone else who has special feeding needs