What is vitamin C?
Because of its widespread use as a dietary supplement, vitamin C may be more familiar to the general public than any other nutrient. Studies indicate that more than 40% of older individuals in the U.S. take vitamin C supplements; and in some regions of the country, almost 25% of all adults, regardless of age, take vitamin C. Outside of a multivitamin, vitamin C is also the most popular supplement among some groups of registered dietitians, and 80% of the dietitians who take vitamin C take more than 250 milligrams. Why is this nutrient so popular?
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient that is easily excreted from the body when not needed. It's so critical to living creatures that almost all mammals can use their own cells to make it. Humans, gorillas, chimps, bats, guinea pigs and birds are some of the few animals that cannot make vitamin C inside of their own bodies.
Humans vary greatly in their vitamin C requirement. It's natural for one person to need 10 times as much vitamin C as another person; and a person's age and health status can dramatically change his or her need for vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C found in food varies as dramatically as our human requirement. In general, an unripe food is much lower in vitamin C than a ripe one, but provided that the food is ripe, the vitamin C content is higher when the food is younger at the time of harvest.
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient that is easily excreted from the body when not needed. It's so critical to living creatures that almost all mammals can use their own cells to make it. Humans, gorillas, chimps, bats, guinea pigs and birds are some of the few animals that cannot make vitamin C inside of their own bodies.
Humans vary greatly in their vitamin C requirement. It's natural for one person to need 10 times as much vitamin C as another person; and a person's age and health status can dramatically change his or her need for vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C found in food varies as dramatically as our human requirement. In general, an unripe food is much lower in vitamin C than a ripe one, but provided that the food is ripe, the vitamin C content is higher when the food is younger at the time of harvest.
As an antioxidant, Vitamin C is important because it protects our tissues from harmful toxins, pollutants and even our bodies own free radicals which are by-products of normal metabolism. As such it is believed by the scientific community that people with diets high in Vitamin C will be less susceptible to many kinds of cancer.There have been many scientific studies with Vitamin C and its effects on the common cold. Most have found Vitamin C supplementation to improve the prevention of colds but not necessarily reduce the duration of a cold. Therefore, it’s important to always be aware of your Vitamin C intake.
HOW TO PREPARE FOODS TO RETAIN VITAMIN C.
Vitamin C can be readily lost from foods during preparation, cooking, or storage. To retain vitamin C:
- Serve fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible.
- Steam, boil, or simmer foods in a minimal amount of water, or microwave them for the shortest time possible.
- Cook potatoes in their skins.
- Refrigerate prepared juices, and store them for no more than 2 to 3 days.
- Store cut raw fruits and vegetables in an airtight container and refrigerate - do not soak or store in water. Vitamin C will be dissolved in the water.
Understanding the benefits of vitamin C is really important. Thanks for sharing. I Buy Vega to maintain my diet.
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