Diet, exercise, and eat right. This is the guiding tenet by which many health-conscious people live and one of the driving forces behind the popularity of functional foods. Despite their immense popularity, there is no universally accepted definition of functional foods. Nevertheless, functional foods can best be characterized as any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains.
Two years ago, functional food and beverage sales topped $25 billion in the United States alone. Propelled by expected growth in Eastern Europe, Western Europe and North America, the worldwide functional food market is expected to reach $90 billion in sales by 2013.