Glyconutrients are important small sugar molecules linked to both proteins and fats that play vital roles in our body’s function. Sourced from fresh plant foods primarily, they are essential for healthy cell function and moving toward an ideal life.
Glyconutrients exist as specific combinations of sugar molecules (often just single sugars by themselves – mannose being an example) attached to other classes of macro-molecule.
The roles they play in our lives are many and varied – and are still being identified through current research!
Vibrant Life Key #2 is all about your internal chemistry, and the foods you put in your mouth are a major contributor to that!
The most understood cellular function is in recognition and communication between individual cells (they form ‘antennae’ or ‘markers’ on our cell membranes).
This seemingly simple role means that they are essential in development (including sperm and egg successfully meeting), as well as wholesale cellular immune function - which basically means protection from all infectious and non-infectious disease and the internal ‘fighting’ of cancer as well as the ‘self/non-self markers’ used by the body for blood typing and other important recognition/activation roles.
Glyconutrients also fulfill really important structural roles for cells too.
The main source of these ‘building blocks’ is the fresh, unprocessed, healthily ripened plant foods in our menu.
This is why fresh, local, ideally organic produce is important to include in your menu. The longer it is left, harvested, stored, transported and/or preserved these vital molecules disappear.
In the age of highly processed, packet-based foodstuffs, and the relative expense of fresh food (when compared to the ‘foods’ in boxes!) it needs to be reinforced the value of fresh, food that is still ‘alive’
It is a smart shopping plan to only buy from the ‘outside’ of the supermarket, not the aisles in the middle!
