Fortified foods contain added minerals, vitamins and other micro-nutrients. Micronutrients are essential for many vital body functions. Your body can’t create its micronutrients. They are required to come from your diet.
Food manufacturers include micronutrients in their products during production. They make chemicals that have minerals and vitamins. These chemicals are devoid of noticeable tastes, smells or textures when added to food.
Certain foods naturally contain few micronutrients but lose them through cooking or storage. Food enrichment happens when food producers add those nutrients back to the food. Contrary to enriched foods, fortified foods don’t naturally contain those nutrients.
Common Fortified Foods
Fortified foods are a better approach to scaling up the consumption of essential vitamins and minerals among the masses since they are affordable, readily available and consumed daily. Food manufacturers usually add the following nutrients to various types of fortified foods.
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Dietary fibres
- Calcium
- Iodized salt
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B6
- Folate
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin E
- Iron
Here are a few fortified food examples:
- A variety of staple foods, like maize, wheat flour, rice, and cassava
- Milk products which have been fortified with calcium and vitamin D
- Breakfast cereals
- Whole grains
- Vegetable oils
- Almond milk and other milk alternatives
- Egg
- Sugar
- Iodized or double-fortified salt
- Unflavoured yoghurt
- Ice creams
- Fruit juice
Health Benefits of Fortified Foods
Meets Nutritional Needs
Fortified foods can be particularly beneficial for those on restrictive diets. This type of diet may be a suitable option or a strategy to treat a disease or allergy. Some vegan or vegetarian diets lack essential vitamins like B12. In these circumstances, fortified plant-based milk spreads and cereals containing the vitamin can be a great choice.
Supports Older Adults
The ability to observe vitamins and minerals tends to decrease as we age. Fortified meals can help maintain optimum micro-nutrient levels, maintain strong bones, ward off cardiac problems, and support digestion.
Children’s Growth and Development
Obtaining sufficient nutrition is crucial for children since their bodies are in the process of development. Zinc, iron and vitamin D deficits are just a few of the nutrients that can hinder growth and result in lasting problems. Coupled with a balanced diet, fortified foods can assist in meeting kids’ nutritional requirements.
Helpful for Pregnancy
Pregnant women need more food than normal since they also nourish a developing child. However, even when they eat more, they cannot obtain sufficient vitamins.
The gap can be filled if they include fortified foods in their meals. Folic acid, for example, is a main component of many fortified foods. Pregnant women who consume sufficient folic acid in their diets are less likely to have birth abnormalities.
Limitations of Fortified Foods
When a food is fortified, it doesn’t mean it is healthy. Fortified foods are usually high in fats, sugars, sodium & other ingredients that can lead to problems such as obesity.
You can get more vitamins and minerals than needed in your diet, which can be harmful. This is more likely to happen when you take supplements such as pills than when you eat fortified foods.
Conclusion
Fortified foods can be an important part of an overall healthy lifestyle; however, it is important to obtain the nutrients from unprocessed foods like vegetables and fruits.
