Functional foods in Indian tradition and their significance for health

Abstract India, with its rich culture and biodiversity, has varied food patterns in different regions. The vast diversity in foods that are consumed on a daily basis makes Indian diets unique. Traditional Indian diets contain ideal combinations of cereals, millets, pulses, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and spices. These foods are rich sources of not only vital nutrients but also of health beneficial phytochemicals, dietary fiber, antioxidants, probiotics, etc. This diversity earns Indian foods the status of functional foods. Traditional Indian meal patterns differ from region to region, but all contain a wide range of foods, normally including foods from each food group. The combinations of foods used in the traditional Indian meals are ideal and complement each other in terms of nutrients as well as nonnutrient bioactive compounds. This chapter presents some of the functional components and attributes of foods that are traditionally used in Indian diets.