ABSTRACT
The philosophy “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” was embraced by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, about 2500 years ago. This meant that the food should contain nutrition in amounts capable of meeting the energy and nutritional requirements of an individual that would ultimately help develop a strong resistance to most common infections that were then prevalent (Hasler 1998). However, with the advent of modern drug therapy, there has been a drastic change in this philosophy. This is mainly due to the decreased realization of food in health care (Hasler 2000; Milner 1999). It was also an era in which much emphasis was given to preferences and tastes over nutrition as such foods were supposed to be a major contributor to the economic growth of a country (Hasler 1998). It was in the first half of the twentieth century that increased incidences of diseases related to over-nutrition made the health care sector realize the negative impact of prolonged consumption of such foods. This led to an increased wave of awareness in the form of public health guidelines, emphasizing the importance of a balanced nutritious diet. This included a diet low in salt and saturated fats and high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, which help reduce the risks of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, etc. This need led to the birth of “functional foods.”
