Cells: The Epitome of Selflessness
Posted on Nov 3, 2011 | 2 comments
Immune Cell:by Olivier Schwartz and the Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Institut Pasteur: www.cell.com/cell_picture_show
The Common Thread that Influences Everything
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. These individual cells combine to form all organs like the brain, heart, and liver. They form our blood vessels, our skin, and our hair. And once they are assigned to where they are going to work, they are each programmed to do very specific functions at these locations – 24 hours a day, everyday.
Cells are the epitome of selflessness. Their entire reason for being is to try and ensure our health and survival. Everyday- for 24 hours- they work to try and correct (or benefit from) the lifestyle choices we make. When we make poor choices, we force them to decide between taking care of themselves (scanning for injury or precancerous anomalies and healing oxidative damage) or taking care of us (coping with chronic stress and processing the drinks and fried foods at dinner). And they, with admirable loyalty, prioritize us. Until the choice is no longer theirs and years of continuous neglect and overwork due to our lifestyle choices result in their inability to work – which we experience as disease.
Cells are what is all for – bioactive compounds, vitamins, minerals, water, activity. Cells are the common thread that influence everything. Optimize their functioning and you will experience your true health and potential.
For more amazing images of cells visit: Cell the Jounal – Picture Show.
~Teri
2 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Doable Nutrition | Perfectly Produce Blog | Perfectly Produce Blog - [...] doable. Every post I create will tie back to Perfectly Produce’s Basic Principles of cellular nutrition: 1) Halt cell damage, ...
What a wonderful image of how our cells work. I am curious I have an 8 year old child who I feel eats very healthy. We really strive to keep no sweets in the house and eat whole foods yet he is in the 95th percentile for weight with little love handles and a little belly. I see many of the kids his age who are rail thin and we eat really healthy! My husbands family struggles with weight and my side of the family does not, in fact we are very thin. Can you just be born with cells that make you more prone to being overweight. If so how do you work with that to stay healthy?
Hi Michelle- You ask a great question and introduce the topic of genetic influence on our cells. There are genetic predispositions programed into our cells. Some of these are good – like setting the cards in our favor to have a stronger immune system than others, but they can also be not so good – like altering our cells’ ability to regulate energy balance which could predispose us to weight gain.
The exciting news is that the area of study known as nutrigenomics is showing how we can manipulate our genetic predispositions through lifestyle and dietary choices. This means that even if a cell has a ‘switch’ which could make it act unfavorably, we can control whether that ‘switch’ ever gets turned on. And currently, research suggests that we have about 70% of this control (high enough to take it into serious consideration).
With weight gain specifically, we want to assess percentages of macronutrients to ensure adequate but not excessive carbohydrate (and healthy fats). Type of carbohydrate is also important (high fiber, whole sources vs. juice, etc.). Stabilizing blood sugar throughout the day is also important to make sure all energy sources (including stored fat) can be mobilized when needed.
With children, we can start to encourage the above by monitoring snacking and making sure that carbohydrate rich snacks (even if whole grains or better processed snack foods) aren’t displacing balanced meals which include lean protein, healthy fats, and produce. Combined with activity, this can result in significant improvements. As with adults, the mantra is variety, variety, variety (in both foods and activity).
A conversation with a licensed nutritionist would look more closely at things like weight history and adiposity rebound (which can occur around age 7-8), and would look at a diet diary to ensure adequate intake of nutrients important to this age group like iron and calcium. The conversation would also include specific macronutrient recommendations based on the individual child.
I hope this information helps. Genetic influence and nutrigenomics is a fascinating field. In the end, every one of us is dealt our own unique hand of genetic strengths and weaknesses. The exciting thing is that we have more information now than ever on how to control the hands we are dealt.
Thanks for the comment. – Teri