Food Supplements and Glyconutritionals? by Theryssa

Why Do We Need Food Supplements and Glyconutritionals?

Food is one of our most basic needs. However, in our

modern society fresh food is a thing of the past. The

so called fresh fruits and vegetables we buy today have

little nutritional value because they are grown in

nutrient-deficient soil, picked before they ripen

naturally, gassed, irradiated, artificially ripened and

stored for days before we eat it. Therefore, our diets

lack the essential building blocks of functional foods

vital to our health and well-being.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON'T GET THESE FUNCTIONAL FOODS?

Without functional foods the body cannot continue the

miracle of healing itself as these foods provide the

raw materials needed to assist in this healing process

thus giving the body fuel to perform at optimum levels.

Without sufficient functional foods the following four

problems exist for most people:

*Starvation: since most of our food is nutritionally

starved; *Toxicity: many food products including raw

fruits and vegetables contain toxins not to mention the

air we breathe and the water we drink, which actually

work against our body's natural healing process;

*Stress: as a result of malnutrition and high levels of

toxicity; *Degenerative disease: which can be

symptomatic of nutritional deficiency and as a result

of stress on the body.

WHAT ARE THESE FUNCTIONAL FOODS?

Functional foods or Neutraceuticals are "foods that are

thought to prevent disease" (Harvard Health Letter

April '95). The building blocks of functional foods are

called phytochemicals (plant chemicals) These

phytochemicals (carbohydrates) are naturally occurring

bioactive substances that prevent diseases by

interacting with the body's innate healing process to

maintain vibrant health and energy.

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THESE PHYTOCHEMICALS?

Of the 200 simple sugars (glyconutritionals) occurring in

plants, only eight are known to be essential for cell-

to-cell communication. These are only found in food

that is ripened on the vine/tree and remain active for

48 hours after being picked. However, only two of

these, glucose & galactose are found in modern diets.

The body can convert these two into the six missing

sugars, but this enzymatic process is long (up to 20

steps), unreliable and error-prone. Thus we need to

supplement our diets with these missing sugars.

WHY ARE THESE glyconutritionals SO IMPORTANT?

All cell surface receptors; binding and signaling

components are glycoproteins (proteins and sugar). They

essentially act as the language between cells in our

body. The glycoproteins are like the letters and words

of a language. If the correct sugar (carbohydrate) is

not placed in the proper location, or is missing, the

glycoprotein is not formed correctly and will not be

able to carry out its function in the cell membrane.

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Advocate for adding Glyconutritionals to your diet.

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