The Role of Functional Food Security in Global Health

Book excerpt: The Role of Functional Food Security in Global Health presents a collective approach to food security through the use of functional foods as a strategy to prevent under nutrition and related diseases. This approach reflects the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Heart Federation and the American Heart Association who advise Mediterranean, Paleolithic, plant food based diets, and European vegetarian diets for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In addition, the book also emphasizes the inclusion of spices, herbs and millets, as well as animal foods. This book will be a great resource to the food industry as it presents the most efficient ways to use technology to manufacture slowly absorbed, micronutrient rich functional foods by blending foods that are rich in healthy nutrients. - Provides greater knowledge on functional food security - Highlights the necessary changes to the western diet that are needed to achieve food security - Explains the utility and necessity of functional food security in the prevention of noncommunicable diseases - Presents policy changes in food production for farmers and the larger food industry - Offers suggestions on what can be done to enhance functional food production while simultaneously decreasing production costs