As the world is still fighting Covid-19, cold and flu season has also joined. So naturally, everyone stocks up on the famous Vitamin C.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C is 60mg/day which is the approximate amount of 1 orange. However, protective qualities of Vitamin C that we all praise it for, only come out with around 1,000mg/day.
To put this into prospective, that’s around 22 oranges eaten throughout the day.
Now I don’t know about you, but I am for sure not going to be eating 22 oranges every day!
But what if I told you that this citrus filled cold fighting vitamin had a lot more to offer than just to minimize sneezing during the snow filled months. OR EVEN BETTER, that it is recommended to take this vitamin all year long instead of just when we feel like we’re getting sick or around people who are.
Vitamin C has a lot more to offer us than we think.
Yes, Vitamin C plays a huge role in creating a strong immune system. However, it is also necessary for:
Collagen and bone formation – which keeps our bones, skin, and joints strong.
Energy production – to help us power through our stressful lives and mid-day slumps.
Antioxidant properties – to help our bodies fight off free radicals which can damage our healthy cells causing multiple illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that once we either eat or supplement with Vitamin C for the day, our bodies will take up all of these properties. But this is where the science comes in. Vitamin C is actually rapidly utilized and minimally stored in the body.
Here’s the breakdown:
Only ~80% of Vitamin C from whatever you eat is actually absorbed in your intestines
BUT our bodies use up that amount within 2 hours
Then it is out of the blood within 4 hours
There are also other factors such as physical or mental stress, smoking, and alcohol intake that can decrease the chances of our bodies absorbing the proper amount.
For this reason, it is recommended that supplementation is to be taken every 4 hours or in a time-released capsule to keep up with depletion.
So now you might be asking what foods can I eat to increase or enhance Vitamin C intake?
Sources of Vitamin C:
Fruits: Vegetables:
Oranges Red & Green Peppers
Lemons Broccoli
Limes Brussels Sprouts
Grapefruit Tomatoes
Acerola Cherries Asparagus
Papaya Parsley
Cantaloupe Dark Leafy Greens
Strawberries Cabbage
Sources to Help Enhance Absorption: – Sources of Bioflavnoids
Green or Black Tea
Lemons
Grapefruit
Rose Hips
Apricots
Black Currents
Cherries
Buckwheat Plant
Best Companies for Supplement Recommendation:
AOR
Vitazan
CanPrev
Genestra
As you can see, this powerhouse vitamin plays major rolls in multiple areas of our health and is utilized very quickly by our bodies.
So, what I challenge you to do is try to incorporate 1 food source of vitamin C in at least 1 meal or snack you have in your day. If you already do that, strive for 2!
As I close this off, I’m going to leave you with a fun fact: Humans and Guinea pigs are the only animals that cannot produce their own Vitamin C. This means that our only option is to consume it through our diet! So get snacking and stay healthy this winter season!
If you have further questions as to what the correct amount of nutrients is for YOUR body send me a message to connect!
Reference:
- Elson M. Hass, MD: Staying Health with Nutrition
- Patrick Holford: The Optimum Nutrition Bible
Comentarios