Bio Active Foods- The Choice for Good Health

Discoveries and explorations are the basis to the many inventions taking place around us. We all want to live healthy, eat well and experience the best from life and why not? Our busy schedules and hectic lives seldom give us the chance to embrace the healthy side of living and somewhere we are also responsible for the lack of wellness in our lifestyles. Bio active foods range helps out people to eat healthily and maintain a somewhat good lifestyle as there are many other factors that too pop up in the definition of wellness.too pop up in the definition of wellness.

The Market
The bioactive range of foods has been gaining attention from the consumers. Healthy eating has become a crucial part of our lifestyles. It has become a need in order to deal with the high demands of work and pressure from all directions. Bio active compounds are constituents in food or dietary supplements, other than those needed to meet human nutritional needs which are responsible for changes in the health status. The market for bio active ingredients is expected to touch $ 51.71 billion by 2024, as stated in a research report by Grand View Research.

Factors for Shifting towards Bio Active Products
Due to their superior quality which is needed to tackle various diseases, Bioactive products are being widely used. The growing health awareness and concern among the consumers are some reasons which are giving the bioactive food products a push in the market. It is required to maintain a balanced diet which has proper doses of nutrition and one can achieve them with super foods like bioactive food products range. The availability factor is also a big point that has been giving the food products range a greater mass area of people to reach out to. They are available not only in ethnic and health food stores but can also be easily found in grocery stores and pharmacies.

Brands in the Competition
Various brands have come up in the bio active foods category. The segment is highly competitive in nature with the presence of both national and international brands. Some of them are BASF, Cargill Inc., DuPont, Ajinomoto Co. Inc. and many others.

Expert Speak
Ayurveda does use a lot of foods which people do not know We are trying to make sure that the products in this range are standardised to a bio active level. We are trying to promote the usage of the different types of herbs and spices so that people can eat and live healthier. We are trying to eliminate the basic need to take medicines. People should maintain a healthier and better lifestyle. We do have done some juices and now we are looking forward to taking this range to the next level as we are introducing ready- to- drink health drinks which have zero sugar and are good in taste. We are going more mainline than just using alternative Ayurveda therapies, says Anurag Sharma, Managing Director, Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Pvt. Ltd., as their brand is going to venture in the bio active range of foods.

Bioactive foods are rich in compounds which are not absolutely necessary for survival but are beneficial. This also explains the fact that nature has created so much diversity across the world and if we don't eat one health food then something else is available for us. Bioactive foods have gained a lot of importance and multiple compounds like polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, allyl sulphides, isoflavones, lycopene (tomato) etc. The anti oxidant property, anti cancerous property, anti inflammatory property and even the medicinal property of plants is because of these bioactive compounds in foods. These bioactive compounds are found in supplement form and are a big hit in the market. The bioactive compounds of our very own turmeric are 'Cur cumin' which is probably the most famous and widely sold. It is gaining a lot of popularity in the western countries of the American and European continent. I can see a lot of websites selling Malabar tamarind for weight loss, cur cumin supplement, psyllium for constipation, etc. Wine is always being promoted as a bioactive food for the presence of resveratrol. Ginger, Garlic, all coloured vegetables like tomato, carrot, bell peppers, are all rich sources of bioactive compounds. Bitter gourd is said to contain plant insulin which reduced blood sugar in diabetic patients. These bioactive foods and compounds are capable of reducing cholesterol, oxidative stress in the body, multiple diseases and even cancers. Some scientists like Dr.William li have shown anti cancerous properties of such foods and compounds in reducing tumours’ personally prefer and advise my patients only natural bioactive foods and very rarely supplements. We have identified cur cumin in turmeric while there may be other bioactive compounds which are not yet identified and which may supplement the activity of cur cumin similarly for other foods, says Nikhil Chaudhary, Nutritionist, Wellness Coach and Speaker.

Conclusion
Everyone wants to live a healthy life and it becomes somewhat difficult to maintain one as people hardly get time to look after themselves due to jam-packed schedules. The running round the clock concept has surely taken its toll on all of us as we can feel our energy levels decreasing gradually. The least we can do on our part is to eat healthy and eat smart. Bioactive food products are a creation to cater to various requirements of the body with just one product due to their high levels of nutrient content. The market looks promising and venturing into the segment will produce products which the consumers really want to use.