YoNaturals on Fortified and Enriched Foods
If you are the person who does most of the grocery shopping for your family or household, then you are probably used to seeing food product labels emblazoned with the words “fortified” and “enriched”. But have you ever taken the time to find out what those words mean? And who decides which labels each food gets? Or do you ever wonder if a “fortified” or “enriched” foods are better for you than their counterparts? If these thoughts have ever crossed your mind, then it’s time to consider what those labels actually mean.
When considering nutrition, it’s important to remember that it is usually best for your body to get vitamins, nutrients, and minerals through eating a balanced diet. However, due to circumstances that are often beyond our control, many people need to supplement their diet with nutrients that are not normally found in their food. For example, some people are not able to supply their bodies with an adequate amount of calcium through the food that they eat (usually because of a restriction on including dairy in their diets), so they are able to provide their bodies with additional calcium through non-dairy foods that are fortified with calcium.
That said, there are many foods at your local grocery store that are either labeled as “enriched” or “fortified”, and those terms are definitely not limited to calcium. In fact, the two terms are similar in purpose, both indicating that nutrients have been added in to a food to increase its nutritional value. The difference is that “enriching” a food means that the added nutrients are replacing the same nutrients that were lost during the processing phase, and “fortifying” a food means adding nutrients to a food that were not there to begin with. For example, milk is often fortified with vitamin D to simply enhance your body’s ability to absorb calcium, whereas white flour is often enriched with vitamin B because those vitamins are lost during processing.
Whether the vitamins and minerals are coming from enriched or fortified foods, there are few who will deny the value of these nutritionally enhanced products. In fact, in many instances, these so called “functional foods” go beyond the basics, providing consumers with additional nutrients that can offer protection against common diseases or stave off other problems.
Even when choosing between two similarly healthy foods, remember the benefits that can come from eating enriched or fortified foods as a part of an overall balanced diet. And choose YoNaturals products to meet all your nutritional needs: enriched, fortified, or otherwise. Choose it for your health!
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