Diet Information

Communication! It permeates our lives. We communicate for many
reasons such as: 1) to get what we want, 2) to get rid of what we don’t
want, 3) to let people know how we feel, 4) to show people we care, 5)
to work productively with co-workers, etc. As members of the human
race we are fortunate to have various ways to communicate our needs
and desires. We can talk, use body language, write our requests or key
them into the computer.

But what would happen if we spoke one language and the intended
receiver of our message spoke another language. Or perhaps we are
speaking on the phone to a friend and static interfers so much that they
only hear some of our words or we say one word and they hear it as
a different word. Perhaps we are sending our message via computer
but some of the keys are either missing or mixed up. That could cause
some confusion, right? And the more static or more keys that are
missing, the more confused the message is. On the other hand the
better we can communicate with other people, the higher level we can
function at.

Did you know that the same thing happens in our body? Our body is
designed to function at an amazing level. When we think of how
complicated our body is, of all the things that could go wrong, and of
how much actually goes right without our even thinking about it, it is truly
amazing. But why do things sometimes go wrong?

Our body is made up of various systems (circulatory, nervous,
muscular, etc) that are made up of organs (heart, lungs, blood
vessels) that are made up of cells. To understand the importance of
communication in our body, let’s take a look at what would happen if our
body was a business.

If our body was a company, our systems would be the various
departments in the company, our organs would be the teams of people
working together within each department, and the cells would be each
individual person within the teams. The individual people are the
powerhouses of the company. If they are doing what they are supposed
to do, when and how they are supposed to, and if they are
communicating well to each other to get their individual needs met, then
the team will work well. If the teams are working well and
communicating so their needs are met, the department will work well.
And if all departments are communicating and getting their needs met,
the company is successful. But if communication brakes down at any
level, it puts the success of the company in jeopardy.

Just as people power companies, our cells power our bodies. So what
do our cells need and how do they communicate to each other? Let’s
look at their needs first. In order to work optimally our cells require
nutrients which they use to produce energy and repair themselves. This
process produces waste materials which they must eliminate. And they
must identify themselves as to what kind of cells they are and if they are
native to our body or if they are an intruder (virus, bad bacteria, etc).
Each cell is covered with glycoproteins (much like a fuzzy ball).
When our cells touch each other these glycoproteins pass
messages from one cell to another. The glycoproteins are comprised of
variations of 4 proteins and 8 essential sugars (also called
carbohydrates or saccharides).

If all glycoproteins are completely formed (no missing sugars or
proteins), the message gets passed along intact and the needs of
the cell are satisfied. However, just like having static on the phone lines
or missing keys on the computer keyboard; if something is missing from
the glycoproteins, communication breaks down and the cell either
doesn’t get what it needs or is sabotaged by sending out a wrong
message.

What happens if a cell doesn’t get the nutrients it needs to produce
energy or repair itself?
Oooh! Energy drain! Premature aging!

What happens if it’s message to get rid of waste material is not
understood?
Ouch! Toxin build-up! Yuck!

What if it is an invading virus but the body doesn’t know it because of
faulty cell communication?
Cold? Flu? Pneumonia? _____?

What if it is in fact a native cell that gives out a message that is
interpreted by another cell that it is an invader?
Oh-oh! The macrophages are called in to eat it up pac-man style. If
this happens frequently enough, we will eventually be diagnosed with
one of the 85 known auto-immune diseases.

Wow! Did you have any idea how important each of your cells is (yes, all
trillions of them). So how do we keep our cells communicating? It is in
the glycoproteins. If our glycoproteins are complete and properly
formed, our cells are happily sending and receiving the right messages.
Highly functioning cells make highly functioning organs, which make
highly functioning systems, which make a highly functioning body for us.
The bottom line is getting the right nutrition so our cells can make
complete and properly formed glycoproteins.

© Jan Barosh 2004. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print
or on your web site so long as the following paragraph is included and
contact information is provided to http://www.janbarosh.com

Jan Barosh’s degree is in health and physical education with post-
graduate work in exercise science and psychology. She is a licensed
corporate wellness coach and a certified teleclass leader and has
helped adults and children be more healthy and fit for over 25 years.
Jan has developed a unique weight management program called
LifeWeight

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