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One of Vitamin C's most important
functions is to assist the body in defeating infections as it acts as
a natural antibiotic. Also, this vitamin is essential for the
normal growth and maintenance of practically all of the body
tissues.
Vitamin C is required in order to maintain healthy
teeth and gums. It also helps fight fatigue and the pains
that tend to settle in the joints, as well as promote
healing in wounds and bone fractures, increases sexual
vitality and prevent premature aging. The C Vitamin promotes
healing and protects against all forms of stress and harmful
effects of toxic chemicals. Vitamin C also enhances the
body’s absorption of iron in order to prevent anemia.
Vitamin C is found in great quantities
in: citrus fruits, berries, green and leafy vegetables,
tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower
leaves. Fair amounts of Vitamin C are found in: eggplants,
cherries, collards, corn, parsnips, radishes and avocados.
A deficiency in Vitamin C can cause
weakness, anemia, bleeding gums, painful and swollen parts,
slow healing of sores and wounds, premature aging and
lowered resistance to all infections.
The recommended daily allowance of
this indispensable vitamin is 50 to 75 mg for adults and 30 to 50 mg for
children. Vitamin C is one of the least toxic vitamins so it
is relatively safe to use in high doses. The body just takes
what it needs and excretes any excess naturally.
An important tip you need to know is
that the Vitamin C content of fruits and vegetables is lost
at an extremely fast rate once the vegetable fibers have
been cut or bruised. It is destroyed by the oxygen it comes
in contact with as well as with the heat if it is cooked,
the cold if it is frozen for more than 2 months and even the
water depletes the Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables
because it is a water soluble vitamin.
In order to preserve the Vitamin C
content of your fruits and vegetables you should eat them as
soon as you cut them. If the weather is too hot store them
in the refrigerator until ready to eat. If you are preparing
a dish try to do it right before serving and cut the fruits
into larger pieces, which will preserve more of the vitamin.
If you are cooking vegetables high in Vitamin C, like
broccoli or green peppers, the best way to preserve the
Vitamin C is to steam them or cook them in as little water
as possible and for the shortest time. Also, cast iron pans
destroy Vitamin C.
Smokers in particular have a greater
need for Vitamin C. The smoking of one cigarette can
neutralize 25 milligrams of Vitamin C. Thus, if you have
one orange for breakfast and follow it by only one
cigarette, you will have lost more than half of the vitamin
content. One slice of pineapple, which is also a good source
of this vitamin, is almost totally nullified by the smoking
of a single cigarette.
Since Vitamin C is primarily necessary
for its qualities of resisting infection. It is only a
logical step to presume that a smoker, whose intake of
Vitamin C is destroyed by the smoking habit, will be more
open to infection than the non-smokers. So smokers need to
supplement their diet with more Vitamin C in order to
benefit from its infection fighting agents.
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