ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the characteristics of this now dominant functional understanding of nutrients, foods, and the body, through an examination of omega-3 fats, nutrigenomics, nutritional supplements, superfoods, dietary pattern analysis, vegetarian and paleo diets, and the new emphasis on hormones and other internal biochemical processes. The era of good-and-bad nutritionism was dominated by a narrow range of nutrients and food components, with the aim primarily being to minimize the consumption of bad nutrients in order to lower the risk of chronic diseases. Nutrition researchers have also become more interested in nonnutrient components thought to offer health benefits, and food manufacturers have not hesitated to add these prized food components to processed foods. In the era of functional nutritionism, there has also been a shift in nutritional messaging from a focus on the quantity of single nutrients to more nuanced multinutrient advice for optimizing health outcomes.
