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Vitamin C

1 rating: 5.0

Nutrition

Vitamin C plays a vital role in a large number of bodily functions. It is a powerful antioxidant. <ul> Sources: Citrus fruits, broccoli, red peppers, brussels sprouts, strawberries.</li> Uses:&l … see full wiki

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Don't Leave Home Without It....

Sep 12, 2000

by Caprig

Rating:

Pros: fights infection, desensitizes teeth, beautiful skin, helps you get through stress, stops bleeding gums, makes you less sensitive to heat in the summer

Cons: use only as supplement and only take large amounts when needed, body can get used to high levels, can cause diarrhea when you take to your tolerance level- different in each person

I realize that the topic of vitamins and supplements is kind of a hotbed and often controversial. I am going to endeavor to bring up some things about vitamin C that I have seen in personal experience and with people whom I know well. That does not mean that you have to agree, nor does it mean that you will have the same exact results in your life.

First, a little background.

I come from a family of vitamin takers. My father has the first PREVENTION magazine to be published ( and probably every one since too <g>) Since I can remember, my father would swallow a fist full of vitamins on a daily basis. The amounts were so big at times, I often wondered how he could keep from choking. But he always got them down.

So I grew up with vitamins being a part of life.

However, I did not take them on a regular basis. Just lazy, I guess. Or maybe rebellious. I really did not see a big difference when I did take them, so I stopped.

Then I got really sick.

I had to change my life style totally. I was not living at home anymore. I needed to know some information FAST.

For many years now, I have researched and done experimentation with all kinds of natural healing methods. (See my review ELEPHANT WOMAN BECOMES PRINCESS for more details on my life changes ). I completely changed my eating habits.

Then something amazing began to happen. I could actually feel what vitamins did and did not work. The results were almost immediate. I could actually take a vitamin C and have it make a cold not stick or actually go away. But it was not the C itself that did the job. It was the interaction between the high level of healthy eating and lifestyle WITH the vitamin that did the trick.

You see, there are many things that rob our bodies of vitamins. One of them is processed foods. It uses up vitamin C to process these things, so not only are we not getting them, we are taking it out of our bodies by eating or intake of certain things. White flour, sugar cane products, preservatives, chemicals, alcohol, smoke (first or second hand), stress, fear, tension- those are just some of the things that deplete our bodies of vitamins and minerals. One of those is vitamin C.

Pregnancy is another thing that raises the level of need for vitamin C. That thing where your gums bleed? It may be related to hormonal changes in the body, but you can greatly reduce the problem by increasing vitamin C and flavonoids as well as vitamin K (alfalfa concentrate has this).

Vitamin C if is synthetic will work, but it is far better if you get a complex with flavonoids.

Flavonoids are found in anything reddish in the produce family - beets, oranges, red onions, red potatoes, pomegranates, cactus pear, etc. They are also found in other items with vitamin C in them, but the redder things have higher concentrations.

What the flavonoids do is strengthen capillaries, and skin as well as other areas of the body that need elasticity. Vitamin C does strengthen the immune system and is amazing for chasing away infection.

Here is where you need to understand one concept. The first thing you need to do is to EAT YOUR MAJORITY OF NUTRIENTS. Vitamins should ideally be used as enhancers with an excellent diet. As with anything, when you rely on processed foods, you will create imbalances in other areas of your body.

[By the way, processed foods are anything that is cooked or processed in any way. That includes 99% of your orange juice in the store. You are better to drink only fresh orange juice if you want vitamin C as cooking destroys it. You are BEST to juice the orange whole (without the peel) in a juicer such as a good centrifugal juicer as you will get the flavonoids from the white stuff on the orange slices too. But there are many other sources for vitamin C from produce.]

I do not take Vitamin C in large amounts unless I need it. When I have had a glass of organic wine or are under stress, my need is greater. I double the dose for the day. I then go back to a daily dose. Your body can get too used to having a lot of vitamin C and then will adapt to the high amounts so that a lower amount will seem like a deficiency.

Here is an interesting thing that I have found. I have had sensitive teeth. I have been under a lot of stress for years. As a result, my teeth have been very sensitive. A new filling I had was very painful and so was a bridge that I had to have put on.

I tried to take dolomite and bone meal which helped a great deal, but again, when you take one processed thing, you can create a deficiency if you are not careful.

I was really frustrated with the teeth thing since I could hardly chew anymore. The dentist saw nothing wrong and it was really difficult to deal with.

Then I saw my gums bleed one day. I did more research and saw that C was very important for bones and teeth. AHA!

I began to take 1000 mg of C a day again ( I had stopped for a long time) and the miraculous happened! The pain went away and I could chew again!

When I eat our own food that we grow in the garden, the C content and flavonoids is high enough where I do not need the C, but if I put off eating the fresh produce, I need it again.

If you want a great vitamin with a lot of uses, C is a good one, but it will never substitute for a well balanced EXCELLENT quality diet with lots of fresh produce.

Recommended:
Yes

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