For many years now at Cytoplan we have presented the rationale that there is a nutrition gap in the diets of most people by virtue of several factors. The nutrition gap describes the difference between the levels of nutrients the average person, eating a reasonable Western diet, is obtaining from food, and those nutrient levels identified by research as being needed for optimal health in the population.
Nutrient shortfalls are caused by a number of different factors, including dietary intake, and this means that most people are not getting the level of essential nutrients needed for health and protection on a daily basis. This deficit impacts adversely on both immediate and long-term health. The nutritional status of our bodies is dependent on six factors:
Our food choices
Food growing, processing and preparation methods
The nutrient content of the food we eat
The ability of our bodies to assimilate these nutrients
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, stress, alcohol intake, medications etc. - which give rise to extra nutrients
Our level of activity (energy-expenditure)
If you are eating a typical Western diet, all of the above are relevant to the nutrition gap in your life. However, even if you are adhering to what we would consider as an optimal human dietary regime such as the 'Paleolithic Diet', there are still two factors that can create nutrient shortfalls. These are a) the level of nutrients in the fresh foods you are eating and b) your level of activity.
