The term health food is generally used to describe foods that are considered to be beneficial to health. However, the term is not precisely defined by national regulatory agencies such as the USDA or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health foods are sold in health food stores or in the health/organic sections of supermarkets.
There are a wide variety of diet regimes which are claimed to have an effect on health. The term “health food” can be applied to carnivorous, vegetarian, macrobiotic, vegan, raw (uncooked) and fruitarian diets, amongst others.
Health food labelingWhile there is no precise definition for “health food”, the United States Food and Drug Administration has warned food manufacturers against labeling foods as being “healthy” when they have a high sugar, salt, or fat content.
Specific health food claimsHealth foods are often seen as acting like medicines, in that they are considered to provide specific favorable effects on health. Purported examples of health foods include alfalfa, broccoli, sprouts, wheat germ, and low fat yogurt. In general, however, their claims of health benefits have not been evaluated by national regulatory agencies.
In the United States, the term is often used for foods that are low in fat and/or sugar, since over consumption of fatty and sugary foods is seen as contributing to the obesity epidemic.
