It has become increasingly evident that we all need to be adding nutritional supplements to our diet. Once upon a time, our ancestors ate mostly fresh and unprocessed food which would have been rich in vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. We no longer get all the necessary nutrients from the food we eat.

These days the majority of our foods are processed, and even when we do consume fresh fruits and vegetables, they are mostly missing the nutrient content that was evident just 50 years ago. Over the many years of constant farming, soils have become depleted, toxic fertilizers and insecticides are used frequently and in many cases fruit is harvested before it's reached its full nutritional value. That is - it is picked before it has fully ripened, it is sometimes gassed to ripen and held in cold storage for many months.

As it is only as fruit and vegetables ripen that the nutrients become fully available, it stands to reason that if they are picked before ripening, we are not getting the goodness out of them that we require. It would seem then, that it would be prudent, taking all the above factors into account to add nutritional supplements to our diets.

Try eating 53 peaches in one day. One study has shown that to get the same level of nutrition that was once available in one peach, that is how many we would need to eat.

If you do happen to eat the now recommended 8 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and they are all grown organically and left to ripen naturally, you'll be in better shape than someone who doesn't. It seems very clear to me, though, that in today's toxic environment our body needs all the help we can give it if it is to repair and regenerate as it should.

It is known now that dietary deficiency and imbalance is a leading cause of ill health in the Western world. Nutrition plays a critical role in the prevention of many diseases like, coronary heart disease, cancer, hypertension, obesity, gingivitis and periodontal diseases, dental caries and non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has reversed its long-standing position and stated in an article in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA - June 2002) that everyone should be using nutritional supplements.

This list gives seven essentials which will enable us to maintain optimal health; something we are all seeking.

* Vitamins and minerals, essential for the creation of healthy cells

* Glyconutrients for cell-to-cell communication and immune support

* Phytonutrients (plant nutrients) to detoxify the system

* Phytohormones, or plant hormones, necessary for glandular function

* Essential fatty acids (EFAs) regulate hormonal function and metabolism

* Essential amino acids, the building blocks for all proteins

* Antioxidants to protect our cells from oxidative damage

As it has become more apparent that we need to supplement, more and more supplements have become available to us. We do need to consider very carefully just what supplements we are taking so that we do actually benefit from them. Unfortunately, many supplements today are synthetic and developed in a chemical laboratory, so may not be able to be absorbed into the body. The best nutritional supplements will be composed of whole food and will be manufactured under very strict scientific guidelines.

About the Author, Welldec:

You have learnt that you should be adding nutritional supplements to your diet. Discover now why you should think about carefully just what supplements you should be taking. Find out about nutrition here. Glyconutrient sugars.

Tags: glyconutrients skin, glyconutrients weight loss, glyconutrients and hepatitis c, glyconutrition, glyconutrients stroke