Traditional and Unconventional Food Crops with the Potential to Boost Health and Nutrition with Special Reference to Asian and African Countries

Due to urbanization, several underutilized/traditional/unconventional food crops are becoming extinct from nature. Encouraging communities to continue propagating these crops is necessary to perpetuate their beneficial attributes. These include supporting a healthier diet for indigenous populations that have been consuming these crops for ages, thereby, in a way, protecting the interaction between people and nature. Moreover, the cultivation of these crops promotes the diversification of species, providing a wider gene pool. In Asian and African countries (mostly underdeveloped or developing countries), many people suffer from hidden hunger and face malnutrition. Nowadays, the term “superfood” has garnered everyone’s attention, which has often been associated with the marketing strategy to promote exotic fruits and vegetables with nutraceutical properties. The superfoods have been associated with the presence of many compounds, including vitamins and other phytochemicals (phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, hydrolyzable tannins, carotenoids, and anthocyanins), including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, antimicrobial, and hypocholesterolemic activities, that play an important role in reducing the risk of serious diseases. However, these foods are often costlier and inaccessible to the majority of the population. In this regard, several underutilized or neglected crops can be elevated to the status of superfoods, thereby nourishing the undernourished and poor people of undeveloped countries. This chapter, therefore, attempts to discuss the status of nutrition in Asian and African countries, along with the potential of several unconventional and traditional food crops that can be utilized to achieve the goal of zero hunger.