When it comes to modern nutrition we are suffering from malnutrition in the midst of abundance

?Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food? declared Hippocrates the Ancient Greek physician who is widely regarded as the founder of modern medicine. Unfortunately that is not easily achieved by our modern diet.

Despite modern technology with all its labor saving devices maintaining a healthy diet has not been made any easier. For a lot of us the fast pace of the modern lifestyle makes it even harder. Fewer people cook and eat at home and regularly opt out for takeaways and fast foods that are high in fats, sugar, salt and low in fiber and minerals. Our recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables is only half of what it should be and that was when it was at 5 servings per day. Health care authorities are now recommending 12 servings per day!

So even the fruit and vegetables that you buy each week are nutritionally suspect. Large scale farming, green harvesting, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, depleted soils and long delays between harvesting and consumption of foods are taking their toll. Produce today contain far fewer minerals than it did pre-1945 after which the focus became production of food in huge quantity to the neglect of quality in terms of nutritional value.

What this means is that "an apple a day" doesn't have the nutritional impact that it had in our grandparents day.

Not All Sugars Are Created Equal. One of the major nutritional discoveries of the last century is glyconutrients. ?Glyco? is the Greek word for sweet so simply glyconutrients means sweet nutrients. Most people think of sugar as being bad for you but don't mistake these sugars for the sugar you put in your coffee. These sugars are dietary nutrients derived from plant sugars which come from raw, unprocessed plant foods and are important for your health. The discovery of these sugars is regarded as the 'missing link? in nutrition

Harper's Biochemistry, the foremost medical textbook in the US, in a published study introduced these sugars known in scientific terms as saccharides in 1996. It goes on to state that of the eight essential saccharides the body needs only two are readily available in our modern diets.

The two sugars that we receive in abundance in our modern diets are Glucose and Galactose. Glucose is commonly known as the ?white stuff you spoon into your coffee? and by far the most widely used of the two. Galactose is commonly found in milk products and is composed of a glucose molecule and a lactose molecule bonded together.

The other six 'missing? sugars can be found in a variety of plant sources. The best sources of these sugars can be found in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, plants and certain types of algae.

A Breakdown In Communication. So why are these sugars absolutely essential for your health? The answer is that every cell in our bodies requires them for cellular communication.

Just as we use the letters of the alphabet to form words and sentences to communicate, similarly, within our bodies these sugars are used to form the letters which are combined to form words and sentences which express the language of our cells. Each of these words, or glycoforms, communicate messages of their own and every cell in the body is coated with them.

Your body is a collection of cells and in order to function at their best cells must communicate properly. When any of these sugars are missing our cells cannot 'speak? to each other or send the wrong messages. The result of this breakdown in communication leads to a lower quality of health and disease.

While its true plants contain glyconutrients, we do not consume near enough of the plant sources rich in these nutrients or as wide a variety as we once did. Modern processing of foods and even moderate cooking can destroy a lot of the essential nutrition found in plants.

Supplement For Wellbeing. Any nutritional expert will tell you that the best way to get your vitals is from food rather than supplements. But this isn't always easy. There are circumstances when it is essential to take supplements. Vitamin supplements are not only used to prevent deficiencies but also used to prevent diseases. Supplements such as vitamin B6, B12 are used to help prevent heart attacks. Folic acid supplementation has been found to decrease the risk of birth defects in women of childbearing age and is recommended before and during pregnancy and vitamin D for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Glyconutrients fill a nutritional gap and yet while you may already be taking vitamin and mineral supplements glyconutrients provide the 'missing link? to help you preserve optimal health and vitality.

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