Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. In functional foods, whole food formulations typically contain fruits, nuts and grains. The fruits, including antioxidant superfruits like acai, goji and blueberry, are often dried or dehydrated, while the nuts and seeds are ground or whole.
In supplements, whole food vitamins are made with vegetables and fruits dehydrated at low heat to preserve nutritional content, and said to contain important minerals, enzymes and co-enzymes that synthetic vitamins lack.
In these products, the use of ‘superfruits’ provides antioxidant protection against free radical damage. Many fruits also deliver phytochemicals shown to effect cholesterol and blood pressure. Nuts offer high doses of good fats in the form of essential fatty acids, and whole grains lower risk of cancer, heart disease and obesity.