What is a functional food?

In my opinion, a functional food is something that not only satisfies your hunger, but works in the background to truly nourish your body. For example, while fast food may be satisfying, it is extremely low quality nourishment, so it is simply filling your stomach. On the other hand, if you were to eat something more functional like a mushroom steak with quinoa, not only will your stomach be filled, but it will provide your body with significantly more nutrients to make sure you are feeling optimal. 

Why are functional foods important?

While this makes a significant internal difference, it can be hard to notice the subtleties in energy levels just from a mere diet change. It is for this reason that many do not feel like it's worth it to change up their diet. The important thing to remember however is that eating functional foods works to prevent issues in the body in the future. Think of it like an investment in your health. In today’s society, our health systems work to prescribe you medication once you have an issue already. This is not good because many of these medications come with other complications. On top of this, it is often overlooked why the issue is happening in the first place. A diet containing functional foods works to not only satisfy hunger, but ensure your body has the nutrients necessary to fight off diseases and such. This way, you don’t have to get prescribed medication for your poor diet, instead, your diet is your medication.

The Oasis Vision

As you can see, following a functional diet is a far superior model to our current health system. Sure complications may still arise where western medicine can be extremely useful, however, the majority of issues can be solved by following a more functional diet. A good way to practice this would be to name exactly what each portion of your meal is doing to nourish your body beyond just hunger. Maybe the salmon on your plate is to nourish your muscles, and the vegetables provide a certain vitamin that you want to start incorporating into your diet. Either way, as long as you can name one way that it is supporting you besides hunger, I believe that is a functional food. 

Here at Oasis, the reason why we chose to work with functional mushrooms and adaptogens is because of just how potent they are. Mushrooms support brain and bodily functions better than most modern supplements out there and adaptogens can help us better adapt to stressors, something we are becoming more and more subject to each day. On their own, while these substances can be extremely beneficial, they are just one piece of the puzzle in your wellness journey and we hope that the way these medicines make you feel encourages you to incorporate more functional foods into your every meal.