Mexican southeast fruits and vegetables as functional food as a natural and nutritive alternative food

Abstract

Functional foods are those providing essential nutrients necessary for good health and necessary nutritional requirements. Modernization on diet habits has affected all social groups, due to dietary changes that have been driven by the economy. This fact has affected rural areas and poor indigenous communities, due to the greater access and availability of industrialized products that leads to changes in consumption styles and habits, choosing a “western diet”, due to its low cost. The study on chemical composition and biological properties of plants and fruits used or consumed in a traditional way in Yucatan, represents a promising alternative to boost fruits and vegetables intake, in order to reduce the consumption of junk foods in children and young people in the Peninsula. Plant origin foods are great interest products, since, in addition to providing macronutrients and micronutrients, they contain a series of substances that, although they do not have a classically defined nutritional function, or are not considered essential for human health, may have a significant impact on the course of any disease and be indispensable in the long term for our health.