APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. a food consumed for the purpose of improving health or treating or preventing disease. The food can be naturally high in a beneficial nutrient (e.g., orange juice consumed for its vitamin C), be genetically engineered to be high in a certain nutrient (e.g., golden rice, genetically engineered to be a source of vitamin A), or be supplemented with a key nutrient (e.g., orange juice with calcium added). A nutraceutical is often a type of functional food, which is a food close to its natural form (i.e., not a pill, powder, or capsule) that provides the body with the nutrients required for health and survival. However, the specific nutritional component of the food can also be separated into a nutraceutical, such as fish oil capsules (taken for the heart benefits of the nutrient omega 3) or D-mannose powder (made from berries and thought to promote urinary tract health). Factors in the growing popularity of nutraceuticals are their availability without prescription and their minimal number of side effects. [combination of nutrition + pharmaceutical]