Disease and nutrition go hand in hand. Nutritional deficiencies causes two things. Disease and aging. The other things that also cause disease and aging are poor life style choices, mainly tobacco and alcohol. We have an obvious choice with tobacco and alcohol but we have a much harder choice with nutrition. The reason for this is mainly because it's very difficult to get the right kind of nutrition, i.e. fresh fruits and vegetables. These are seasonal and when we depend on outside sources, we can't be guaranteed of the quality. When they are shipped from far away places, typically they are cut before they are ripe and a lot of the active ingredients are left in the stem and root.
When our bodies are given the right nutrients they can heal themselves. Genetically we are coded to do this. The only problem is that in order to fix ourselves we have to have the right nutrients to do so. Would you fix a flat tire with a rug?
There have been a number of studies done on the use of various vitamins, antioxidants in treating and preventing disease. I would strongly encourage checking this out. The one field that research is exploding in is that of glycobiology. They now know that there are eight monosaccharides (simple sugars, not just table sugar) essential to cell to cell communication. This process helps identify bad cells and instructs the immune system to kill them. When the immune system is depressed, bad cells stay bad and then they multiply.
Currently we only get two of these eight essential sugars in our diet: glucose
(table sugar) and lactose (milk products). The other six we can manufacture but it takes a lot of energy and can involve up to 20 different reactions.
As many of my clients and colleagues know, I am always astounded at the amount of refined sugar that exists in our daily diets as well as the amount that is in most processed foods. The Food Manufacturers are finally yielding to pressure from consumers to re-formulate some of their offerings, but we are a long ways away.
With the use of glyconutrient products, we are aware of the powerful healing effects of the eight essential sugars, known as saccharides. These products are listed in the new book; Remarkable Life, Remarkable Journey. They are the foundation of multicellular intelligence-the ability of cells to communicate, cohere, and work together to keep us healthy and balanced.
But what about the more common sugar found in many of the processed foods. Companies realize that educated consumers are reading labels and trying to avoid sugar. In order to hide the term "sugar", manufacturers are using a new term "organic evaporated cane juice".
So be sure to read that label and not confuse the 8 Essential Sugars with the basic sugar sweetener.
About the Author
Mark Garcia C.E.C. is an accomplished professional chef whose consulting firm, The Retail Food Group works with large restaurant and hotel corporations all over the world. One of his areas of expertise is in the field of nutrition and wellness. He may be contacted at 210-391-8872