A STEP TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE, WHOLESOME AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THROUGH ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL FOOD CONSUMPTION.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Ensuring a healthy body and peaceful mind are the primary conditions for a smooth and energetic lifestyle. This need has been proven to be essential time and again, as our society and work-culture gradually become more complex with layers of responsibilities taking our attention away from the basic habits of diet maintenance and physical activity. There has been a lot of research around the world over the years as to how we can attain our desired physical and mental states effectively and minimally. To that extent, proper diet and immunity enhancement have been emphasised in almost all medical research and disciplines, the argument being if the immune system is not strong, even a small illness can weaken the whole body and lead to further major or complex problems.
This has been evident over the past two years, as we witnessed the world come to a standstill due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 caused the world and its economy to encounter an unimaginable setback and its disease cost the lives of millions across the world. Even with ongoing vaccination campaigns, the variants of the virus still prevail. The rapid spread of the virus has caused alarming consequences since the outbreak. To prevent the spread of the disease and to avoid health risks, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other prominent public health and safety organisations recommended certain health guidelines and protocols. These include instructions to wear a mask when going out of the house, adhering to social distancing and maintaining personal hygiene for everyone, regardless of their vaccination status. Various experiments are also underway with the vaccines and antidotes. Although COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by different organisations are already being administered under sincere government campaigns, we are yet to find any preventive that will ensure permanent protection against the disease.
ALTHOUGH COVID-19 VACCINES MANUFACTURED BY DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONS ARE ALREADY BEING ADMINISTERED UNDER SINCERE GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNS, WE ARE YET TO FIND ANY PREVENTIVE THAT WILL ENSURE PERMANENT PROTECTION AGAINST THE DISEASE.
In any case, we must always remember that ‘prevention is better than cure.’ This age-old saying indicates our need for staying prepared against potential threats by improving our bodily biological systems. In addition to vaccinating against coronavirus, doctors and health experts are advising on strengthening our immune systems because it has been evident that those who have a good immune system are recovering from COVID-19 with relatively lesser complications. They even manage to cope with the post-coronary problems with better ease due to their stronger natural immunity shields.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL FOODS
In today’s modern lifestyle, our unhealthy and irregular eating habits, aversion to physical activities and constantly remaining under stress are leading us to obesity and various chronic diseases. This, to some extent, has accelerated the spread of COVID-19 by affecting our regular immune systems. Given that a proper contrast of calorie intake and calorie burned is essential for a disease-free lifestyle, ideally, every individual should maintain a certain dietary plan according to their age and profession. Additionally, the consumption of foods that have balanced nutrition provides necessary protection to our immune system. Therefore, to remain sheltered from viral infections, including COVID-19 outbreaks, attention must be paid to boosting one’s natural immune system.
More than ever before, we are now more prone to take medicines and artificial or processed consumables in order to keep pace with the transforming demands of modern-day lives. Our need to constantly stay on the run, with no room for compromise in our tight schedules, has put a price on our digestive system as we have become more reliant on alternative methods for sustenance. But, continuing this overdrive has the potential to lead us towards irreversible complications. This is where the introduction of organic and functional food becomes crucial. Functional food safely provides essential nutrients and enables a healthier lifestyle that suits today’s modern eating habits. It is imperative that we understand and address the margin between food and medicines in our practising lives. As Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
IN ADDITION TO VACCINATING AGAINST CORONAVIRUS, DOCTORS AND HEALTH EXPERTS ARE ADVISING ON STRENGTHENING OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN EVIDENT THAT THOSE WHO HAVE A GOOD IMMUNE SYSTEM ARE RECOVERING FROM COVID-19 WITH RELATIVELY LESSER COMPLICATIONS.
The initial idea of functional foods was proposed by a Japanese scholarly society in the early 1980s with the introduction of the FOSHU law – Foods for Specified Health Use. Foods that can modulate bodily functions and thereby help in disease prevention were characterised as functional foods. The inclination of the Japanese people towards living a healthy lifestyle with good fundamental dietary habits led to the development of functional foods, which eventually surpassed the borders and caused a rapid increase in consumer interest towards functional foods with potential bioactive components.
Organic foods are also significant in terms of safe and natural products. A pioneer of organic farming and a founding figure in the organic movement, Lady Evelyn Barbara Balfour, believed that “The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible”. This very belief lies in the core of the philosophy behind farming and consuming organic foods. Harmful chemicals are now used in almost all types of food production, which is by no means safe for the body. Organic food is food that is produced in a hundred per cent natural way without any chemical fertilisers or pesticides and does not require artificiality in its maintenance.
RECOGNITION OF ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Asia, especially India, Japan and China have been, for many years, using special foods as an integral part of their health care to prevent, alleviate and cure various diseases. The first functional food concept was introduced in Japan in the 80s to increase immunity and reduce complex health risks, and it gained a legal basis in the country in 1991. In 2013, the National Parliament in Bangladesh passed the ‘Food Safety Act 2013,’ which includes ‘Functional Food’ under Section 31.
ADDITIONALLY, THE CONSUMPTION OF FOODS THAT HAVE BALANCED NUTRITION PROVIDES NECESSARY PROTECTION TO OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. THEREFORE, TO REMAIN SHELTERED FROM VIRAL INFECTIONS, INCLUDING COVID-19 OUTBREAKS, ATTENTION MUST BE PAID TO BOOSTING ONE’S NATURAL IMMUNE SYSTEM.
Organic Functional food is completely natural and safe, providing essential and beneficial nutrients for the body. It works effectively in the body through various bio-active ingredients. Today, people in Europe, America and other developed countries of the world have become particularly interested in reducing health risks through bio-active components. Nowadays, functional food is becoming more and more popular due to a change in people’s eating habits and increased health awareness. In 2020, the global functional food market was worth USD 170.2 billion, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7 per cent from 2022 to 2027. By 2026, the growth is projected to hit USD 251.1 billion.
WHY ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL FOODS
Organic and functional foods standout because of three core reasons – They are safe, they cause no harm to the environment and they are healthier for mankind. Organic foods originate through processes that have no inclusion of fertilisers or pesticides. Organic livestock is also raised under procedures where harmful antibiotics and all other growth hormones are strictly prohibited. In the production process of such beneficial foods, it is ensured that organic farming practices are obtained. Thus, nothing detrimental is left for mother earth to suffer from. A 50-year study revealed that the use of synthetic fertilisers decreases nitrogen and carbon in soil by 50-65%, causing the land to become less favourable for cultivation. In this regard, organic farming is elementary to preserve the heat and beneficial germs of the soil. This way, farming also becomes more sustainable, conserving the elements of nature and minimising pollution factors. The British Journal of Nutrition found in 2014 that organically produced crops were not just less likely to contain detectable levels of pesticides, but also 48% less likely to contain cadmium – a toxic heavy metal that accumulates in the liver and kidneys. Being purely organic by its very biological structure, the food treats our digestive and physiological systems in a completely harmless manner.
Even food scientists collectively opine that organic functional food is safer and comparatively more recommended for a balanced diet. Organic production systems ensure a good balance for both the environment and animals. Therefore, we should be encouraged to adopt organic functional foods for living a healthy life in a healthy environment. Especially after a pandemic, when the whole world has witnessed the necessity of maintaining a hygienic lifestyle for the sake of survival, adding functional and organic food to our regular diets is now seeming more imperative than ever before. Statistics say that diseases and physical conditions causing major concerns of comorbidity – diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity – are ever on the rise, and to prevent losses from such cases, maintaining an optimal diet is a must. In many countries and cultures like ours, food exceeds the boundary of a necessity to reach the luxury status symbol. This unhealthy practice of consuming food for the pleasure of the mind ultimately results in individuals getting life-threatening diseases at very early ages. Functional and organic foods, on the other hand, give us the chance of enjoying a longer life span, ensuring proper metabolism and dietary fulfilment.
TOWARDS AN ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL LIFESTYLE
Globally, people who are conscious about their health and opt to improve it in every way possible have shown immensely positive feedback to functional food. Students, professionals and elderlies who want to improve their overall performance and attitude towards life are increasingly moving to various functional foods, as it promises improved health conditions, reduced risk of disease and works against chronic diseases. Two key factors have been identified as market drivers for functional foods – the first one is the increasing population that is aware and supportive of functional foods, and the second is the altering food habits of humankind contributing to the trend of food fashion. Food is no longer considered a mere element of survival. It is now celebrated and is justifiably experimented with as per the peace of minds – and tummies!
IN 2020, THE GLOBAL FUNCTIONAL FOOD MARKET WAS WORTH USD 170.2 BILLION, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO GROW AT A COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE (CAGR) OF 6.7 PER CENT FROM 2022 TO 2027. BY 2026, THE GROWTH IS PROJECTED TO HIT USD 251.1 BILLION.
There are already communities and organisations spreading awareness regarding the importance of functional and organic food. But since the concept is relatively new in Bangladesh (and many more countries), it is important to understand its differences from traditional foods. The manifold preventive and therapeutic outcomes provided by these particular foods can enhance our diets and help us uplift our lives with massive alterations. Hence it is recommended that we gain more understanding of the concept, promote its effectiveness and make functional foods a part of our daily lives with active attention and participation.