For the sake of his muscles, Popeye ate spinach; in the belief that it would improve his sexual stamina, Rasputin devoured huge quantities of pickled cabbage; because he believed that they were good for the eyesight, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria ate at least a dozen carrots daily; and for reasons shared by tens of millions of Americans, Woody Allen pops dozens of vitamin pills weekly. Not to be misunderstood, I have nothing whatsoever against spinach, pickled cabbage, carrots or vitamins. I do, however, sometimes marvel what we will ingest in the hope that it will, in one way or another, be "good for us". I am also growing weary of commercial companies whose greatest interest is profit, but which devote much of their advertising trying to convince us that they love us, are worried about our well being and are concerned only with our quality of life.

In the last five years, largely because scientists have identified the presence of various "bonus elements" in an ever growing list of foods, food producers have devised a new category of things we are told are edible. These creations, referred to broadly as Functional Foods, are reported to be good to treat or prevent one or more of the various things that ail us. It is true that many of the commercially produced food products in this category contain significant levels of those biologically active components that impart health benefits beyond those of basic nutrition. Those components, in case anyone is curious, are referred to as either nutraceuticals or phytochemicals, and at least some of them are said to supply the antioxidants helpful in preventing cancer and heart disease, or to have cholesterol-lowering effects. Others are said to be good for almost anything. If there is a problem with all of this it is that these claims are being increasingly questioned by both regulatory authorities and consumers and the data to prove claims for specific products is often lacking.

Nearly all functional foods have several things in common -many taste more like medicines than things we normally consider enjoyable; most of them are little more one combination or another of soya, yoghurt, bran or rolled oat products enriched with vitamin and other naturally occurring chemical additives; and nearly all cost 50 - 200% more than more-or-less equivalent vitamin and mineral enriched products that have already been on the shelves for a dozen or more years. As an example, the California produced Energy Bars of Farmer Green are sweets that are packed with yoghurt, cocoa, palm oil, soya, and other natural ingredients that are said to supply 20% of our daily vitamin, mineral and antiodixant needs. Sweet snacks that do indeed give an energy boost and the two flavors offered (one said to be like coffee with milk and the other of cream cookies) even taste good. The resemblance to cafe latte or cream cookies is minimal but, when it comes to vitamins and other basic needs, who am I to be all that fussy. The problem is simply that when I want a chocolate bar, I want chocolate and not a combination of ingredients that may look like but certainly does not taste like real chocolate. The Greeks knew the truth - a small amount of fine chocolate will do no harm whatever and goes a long way in pleasing the soul.

As to the functional cereals brought to us by Swiss company Familia, one of which is said to be especially good for our bones, another of which we are told is an ideal antioxidant, and yet another of which we are told will do wonders for our hearts and blood pressure, I can only chuckle, for although these snacks qua breakfast cereals contain entirely natural products, they cost far more than the best muesli or granola that you can find and frankly contain not much that makes them worth their price.

As a third example, let us take a peek at the imported from America energizing beverage "Red Bull" that has become a huge hit at bars, kiosks and markets throughout the country. When I first wrote about this product (29 November 1999), I observed that this sparkling beverage tasted something like diluted but bitter grapefruit juice. I also commented that it left a lightly fuzzy feeling in the mouth, almost as if one had been sucking on peach pits. I am the first to admit that this stuff gives an energy boost, the source of that said to be taurine, a colorless, crystalline compound (NC2H2S02) that is found in nature in the bile of mammals. Taurine is a component of taurocholic acid, the main purpose of which is to promote the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. The beverage also contains large amounts of sugar, caffeine and panatonic acid. Good for us? Good question, but one does wonder why the tin carries a warning about the dangers of consuming too much caffeine. One also wonders why precisely the Surgeon General's office in the United States has advised against overindulgence in this and similar beverages.

As a person devoted to the concept that in addition to being good for us, food should be fun to eat, I remain convinced that such foods and beverages are primarily a commercial effort to capitalize on our fear of decay, exhaustion or premature death. Like most people, I am also concerned with issues of health and well-being but I tend to go along with an increasing number of studies from around the world (the University of Illinois; Harvard and Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine; the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center; University of California- Berkeley School of Public Health; Pennsylvania State University; and Beijing College of Traditional Medicine, China, to name a few) that have been constantly adding to the list of those foods that offer a lot more than vitamins and good taste. What the heck people, if we're going to worry about our health, let's treat ourselves well and dine on those products that taste good, are truly good for us and won't make us feel guilty by sending our overdrafts to astronomical proportions. Following, based on studies from the above universities, is a partial list of those foods most highly recommended for both our pleasure and our well-being.

Yoghurt, which contains bifido-baceteria, is known to enhance the functioning of the gastrointestinal system.

Coles (including broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage) contain indoles which seem to offer protection against several types of cancer.

Grape juice and wine (especially red wine) contain phenols and other phytochemicals that protect against heart attacks, strokes and certain kinds of senile dementia.

Whole grapes (when eaten with their skins) contain estrogen act-alike chemicals that seem to help preserve bone density and fight memory deterioration.

Garlic contains allyl which lowers the blood pressure, impacts positively on cholesterol levels, maintains blood flow and lowers the risk of stroke and thrombosis. To bring a touch of humor into all of this seriousness, let us not forget that garlic hung in our windows or worn around the neck can also protect us from vampires.

Tea (all tea but especially green tea) contains catechin which is a powerful antioxidant and may reduce the risk of cancer.

Tomatoes (including tomato juice and tomato sauce), red Grapefruit, pomellos and red peppers contain lycopene which reduces the risk of prostate and cervical cancers.

Oatmeal, oat bran and rolled oats contain beta-glucan which reduce cholesterol levels and seem to have a positive effect on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fish (especially fresh but to a great extent frozen fish as well) contains Omega-3 Fatty acids which helps increase HDL (the so-called "good" cholesterol) and fights against cardiovascular disease.

Soy products contain isoflavones, which lowers LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and in turn may lower blood presure. Soy products also contain Linoleic acid, a vegetarian version of Omega-3.

Legumes contain phyto-estrogens which are thought my many scientists to protect against breast cancer.

On reflection, I cannot help but wonder if our search for a panacea in commercially produced functional foods is not simply an extension of that kind of old world thinking that had witches flying on broomsticks or the New-Age nonsense that would have us believe that glass pyramids can sharpen razor blades and that some people really have astral guides and that. But enough - I promise not to write another word about functional foods until I find one so delicious that I am willing to forgive it for whatever curative powers it claims.

© Daniel Rogov