Our food choices impact our physical, mental and emotional health. Eating with our holistic health in mind means choosing foods and ingredients mindfully, and this is where choosing functional foods comes in! In a previous post, we discussed the impact functional foods can have on staving off medical conditions, and on general health and well-being. We’re here now to spotlight specific functional ingredients, how to best incorporate them into your diet and handle common blockers that pop up while making these dietary changes. Let’s get started!
Spotlight on Seven Functional Foods
Here at Thistle, we love including a variety of healthful, functional foods – you’ll find them in each of our meals! Some categories of functional ingredients include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and spices/herbs. Each of these groups of ingredients provide some truly impressive health benefits.
1. Fruits
Fruits generally are good sources of fiber, fluids, and certain vitamins (commonly, vitamin C.) A few standout fruits include all types of berries like strawberries, blueberries and blackberries! Berries contain bioactive compounds, which produce an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, and can provide medical nutrition therapy for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Along with their high fiber content, the bioactive compounds in berries have also been shown to promote heart health, normalize the levels of fat in the blood, support gut health and support healthy aging. Pretty impressive! Other healthful fruits we love including in meals are apples, bananas, mangos and pineapple, which all include uniquely beneficial compounds and fiber to support a healthy gut microbiome.
2. Vegetables
We all know that vegetables are up there with the world’s healthiest foods! Like fruits, vegetables are rich in fiber and a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables also contain unique healthy compounds, which often give them their beautiful colors!
3. Green leafy vegetables
Here at Thistle, we use green vegetables like spinach, chard, arugula, collards and romaine in most of our lunches and dinners. We love them for their versatility and for their incredible health benefits. Spinach is commonly found in our meals, and contains healthy compounds called flavonoids, which are linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular heart disease and several types of cancer. Spinach also contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, thanks to compounds called phenolic compounds. Another popular leafy green in our cuisine is kale, whose health reputation is well deserved. Kale is rich in bioavailable nutrients including calcium, potassium, prebiotic fiber, and compounds that provide anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, and antimicrobial effects.
4. Other vegetables
We’ll highlight a few of our other favorite vegetables that contain truly stellar nutrition profiles and act functionally in the body. Vegetables (and fruits) that are orange and yellow (think: carrots, yellow and orange bell pepper, sweet potato) contain pigments called carotenoids, which give them their bright colors and provide the body with protection against cancer and eye disease. Anthocyanins give produce like purple sweet potato, beets, and red cabbage their deep red, blue and purple hues, and help lower blood pressure, reduce plaque buildup in the body, and slow the growth of cancer.
5. Whole grains
Our Culinary R&D team loves to include 2-2.5 oz of whole grains per meal, and some of our favorites are oats, quinoa and brown or black rice. The term “whole grains,” per the Whole Grains Council, is defined as grains/grain products that “contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed in their original proportions.” Whole grains will include the bran, a fiber and B-vitamin rich outer layer, the endosperm layer, or second, starch-rich layer, and the germ layer, the inside layer that is packed with B vitamins, vitamin E and even some healthy fats. Refined grains consist of the endosperm portion only. A 2022 review of whole grains reflects that functionally, these ingredients have the potential to support a healthy gut microbiome, help regulate how the body processes glucose and fats, work as antioxidants by scavenging free radicals, and even help prevent some types of cancer.
6. Legumes
You’ll find legumes in a majority of Thistle’s lunches and dinners. We love them for both their macronutrient composition (hello fiber and protein!) as well as their micronutrient content (plant based iron alert!) This meta-analysis summarizes that beans promote a reduction in LDL cholesterol by 19%, total risk of cardiovascular disease by 11%, and coronary heart disease by 22%! These incredible results are likely driven by the fiber content in beans. For example, in 100 grams of cooked chickpeas (just over ½ cup), you’ll find 6 grams of fiber! In combination with the other high fiber ingredients in Thistle meals, you’ll easily reach the recommended daily intake of 25 - 38 grams per day!
7. Spices
From cinnamon to chili flakes to turmeric, you’ll find an eclectic mix of spices flavoring Thistle meals. Spices are a functional ingredient known to promote an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. Inflammation is linked with a variety of disease states, including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors, and a small touch of your favorite spice can act preventively against these diseases. Let’s spice things up!
Incorporating Functional Foods into Your Diet
Now that you’re well versed in different types of functional foods, let’s talk about ways to incorporate them into your diet.
Try different cooking methods.
If you struggle with including new vegetables into your diet, try roasting them! Roasting vegetables caramelized their natural sugars, giving them a whole new flavor profile and texture. To add more fruit to your regimen, try a Thistle smoothie, or make some tasty Watermelon Berry Creamsicles!
Aim for balanced meals.
The USDA’s MyPlate shows a helpful visual of how to keep your meals balanced, and stacked with functional ingredients. Looking to include ½ plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ plate starch (for ex: whole grains, root vegetables) and ¼ protein (for ex: legumes) is a good way to incorporate many of the foods discussed before! This might look like a vegetable stir fry with edamame, sesame seeds and brown rice. Yum!
Add to what you already enjoy.
Take a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce, for instance, when you add in some chickpea, or zucchini pasta (or swapping completely), your favorite vegetables (we love mushrooms!), or your favorite herbs (try basil and garlic!), this not only levels up your functional food intake, but also adds some delicious new flavors!
FAQs on Functional Foods
Ready to get started with functional foods? We’re here to support you! While getting started, you may have some questions and concerns, and we want to address those to make implementation as easy as possible.
Are functional foods safe for everyone?
Dietary choices are pretty individualized, so you’ll always want to check with your dietitian and doctor before making big changes! Some medical conditions, medications or allergies may inhibit you from enjoying certain functional foods, though there should be plenty of others to try!
Can functional foods replace medication?
Foods should not be thought of as medication replacements; oftentimes, they work concurrently with medication. Some medical conditions can be treated via dietary modification alone, though, and this is something a trained dietitian can help look into!
Are there any drawbacks to eating solely functional foods?
Functional foods include a diverse range of healthful ingredients and can often be used to create balanced and complete meals. A potential drawback could be an overfocus on dietary composition. We strive for complete, healthy meals, though food is about more than physical health, and an overfocus on solely the health aspects can lead to a loss of pleasure in eating. We’d suggest largely eating functional foods, with a few other, less functional foods thrown in simply for sustainability and joy.
Put it Into Practice
Functional foods are an excellent way to support your health holistically. Ingredients like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and spices/herbs have been shown to act medicanally on a multitude of health concerns, and are easily, and tastily incorporated into your diet! Whether you plan to add a handful of spinach to your next scramble, or enjoy more ready to eat Thistle meals, we feel confident that increasing your functional food intake will support your health and wellness goals and leave you feeling your best.
Our food choices impact our physical, mental and emotional health. Eating with our holistic health in mind means choosing foods and ingredients mindfully, and this is where choosing functional foods comes in! In a previous post, we discussed the impact functional foods can have on staving off medical conditions, and on general health and well-being. We’re here now to spotlight specific functional ingredients, how to best incorporate them into your diet and handle common blockers that pop up while making these dietary changes. Let’s get started!
Spotlight on Seven Functional Foods
Here at Thistle, we love including a variety of healthful, functional foods – you’ll find them in each of our meals! Some categories of functional ingredients include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and spices/herbs. Each of these groups of ingredients provide some truly impressive health benefits.
1. Fruits
Fruits generally are good sources of fiber, fluids, and certain vitamins (commonly, vitamin C.) A few standout fruits include all types of berries like strawberries, blueberries and blackberries! Berries contain bioactive compounds, which produce an anti-inflammatory effect in the body, and can provide medical nutrition therapy for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Along with their high fiber content, the bioactive compounds in berries have also been shown to promote heart health, normalize the levels of fat in the blood, support gut health and support healthy aging. Pretty impressive! Other healthful fruits we love including in meals are apples, bananas, mangos and pineapple, which all include uniquely beneficial compounds and fiber to support a healthy gut microbiome.
2. Vegetables
We all know that vegetables are up there with the world’s healthiest foods! Like fruits, vegetables are rich in fiber and a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables also contain unique healthy compounds, which often give them their beautiful colors!
3. Green leafy vegetables
Here at Thistle, we use green vegetables like spinach, chard, arugula, collards and romaine in most of our lunches and dinners. We love them for their versatility and for their incredible health benefits. Spinach is commonly found in our meals, and contains healthy compounds called flavonoids, which are linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular heart disease and several types of cancer. Spinach also contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, thanks to compounds called phenolic compounds. Another popular leafy green in our cuisine is kale, whose health reputation is well deserved. Kale is rich in bioavailable nutrients including calcium, potassium, prebiotic fiber, and compounds that provide anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, and antimicrobial effects.
4. Other vegetables
We’ll highlight a few of our other favorite vegetables that contain truly stellar nutrition profiles and act functionally in the body. Vegetables (and fruits) that are orange and yellow (think: carrots, yellow and orange bell pepper, sweet potato) contain pigments called carotenoids, which give them their bright colors and provide the body with protection against cancer and eye disease. Anthocyanins give produce like purple sweet potato, beets, and red cabbage their deep red, blue and purple hues, and help lower blood pressure, reduce plaque buildup in the body, and slow the growth of cancer.
5. Whole grains
Our Culinary R&D team loves to include 2-2.5 oz of whole grains per meal, and some of our favorites are oats, quinoa and brown or black rice. The term “whole grains,” per the Whole Grains Council, is defined as grains/grain products that “contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed in their original proportions.” Whole grains will include the bran, a fiber and B-vitamin rich outer layer, the endosperm layer, or second, starch-rich layer, and the germ layer, the inside layer that is packed with B vitamins, vitamin E and even some healthy fats. Refined grains consist of the endosperm portion only. A 2022 review of whole grains reflects that functionally, these ingredients have the potential to support a healthy gut microbiome, help regulate how the body processes glucose and fats, work as antioxidants by scavenging free radicals, and even help prevent some types of cancer.
6. Legumes
You’ll find legumes in a majority of Thistle’s lunches and dinners. We love them for both their macronutrient composition (hello fiber and protein!) as well as their micronutrient content (plant based iron alert!) This meta-analysis summarizes that beans promote a reduction in LDL cholesterol by 19%, total risk of cardiovascular disease by 11%, and coronary heart disease by 22%! These incredible results are likely driven by the fiber content in beans. For example, in 100 grams of cooked chickpeas (just over ½ cup), you’ll find 6 grams of fiber! In combination with the other high fiber ingredients in Thistle meals, you’ll easily reach the recommended daily intake of 25 - 38 grams per day!
7. Spices
From cinnamon to chili flakes to turmeric, you’ll find an eclectic mix of spices flavoring Thistle meals. Spices are a functional ingredient known to promote an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. Inflammation is linked with a variety of disease states, including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors, and a small touch of your favorite spice can act preventively against these diseases. Let’s spice things up!
Incorporating Functional Foods into Your Diet
Now that you’re well versed in different types of functional foods, let’s talk about ways to incorporate them into your diet.
Try different cooking methods.
If you struggle with including new vegetables into your diet, try roasting them! Roasting vegetables caramelized their natural sugars, giving them a whole new flavor profile and texture. To add more fruit to your regimen, try a Thistle smoothie, or make some tasty Watermelon Berry Creamsicles!
Aim for balanced meals.
The USDA’s MyPlate shows a helpful visual of how to keep your meals balanced, and stacked with functional ingredients. Looking to include ½ plate fruits and vegetables, ¼ plate starch (for ex: whole grains, root vegetables) and ¼ protein (for ex: legumes) is a good way to incorporate many of the foods discussed before! This might look like a vegetable stir fry with edamame, sesame seeds and brown rice. Yum!
Add to what you already enjoy.
Take a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce, for instance, when you add in some chickpea, or zucchini pasta (or swapping completely), your favorite vegetables (we love mushrooms!), or your favorite herbs (try basil and garlic!), this not only levels up your functional food intake, but also adds some delicious new flavors!
FAQs on Functional Foods
Ready to get started with functional foods? We’re here to support you! While getting started, you may have some questions and concerns, and we want to address those to make implementation as easy as possible.
Are functional foods safe for everyone?
Dietary choices are pretty individualized, so you’ll always want to check with your dietitian and doctor before making big changes! Some medical conditions, medications or allergies may inhibit you from enjoying certain functional foods, though there should be plenty of others to try!
Can functional foods replace medication?
Foods should not be thought of as medication replacements; oftentimes, they work concurrently with medication. Some medical conditions can be treated via dietary modification alone, though, and this is something a trained dietitian can help look into!
Are there any drawbacks to eating solely functional foods?
Functional foods include a diverse range of healthful ingredients and can often be used to create balanced and complete meals. A potential drawback could be an overfocus on dietary composition. We strive for complete, healthy meals, though food is about more than physical health, and an overfocus on solely the health aspects can lead to a loss of pleasure in eating. We’d suggest largely eating functional foods, with a few other, less functional foods thrown in simply for sustainability and joy.
Put it Into Practice
Functional foods are an excellent way to support your health holistically. Ingredients like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and spices/herbs have been shown to act medicanally on a multitude of health concerns, and are easily, and tastily incorporated into your diet! Whether you plan to add a handful of spinach to your next scramble, or enjoy more ready to eat Thistle meals, we feel confident that increasing your functional food intake will support your health and wellness goals and leave you feeling your best.
