Vitamin C . . . most people don't get enough of it!
Vitamin C is essential for life! ... In fact everybody needs vitamin C... and many metabolic processes in the body need vitamin C! ...and even the other important vitamins in our body need vitamin C to work!
The most acceptable role of vitamin C is its immune boosting property. Everyday, 24/7, our bodies are constantly exposed to all kinds of stress - mental stress, emotional stress and physical stress due to poor diet, lack of sleep and rest, environmental pollution, and congested city living, to name a few. This makes people more prone to viral infections such as that causing cough, colds and fly. Another major problem discovered if one is vitamin c deficient is a condition called scurvy. Scurvy, whether full blown or silent (that means, you're not aware that you have it already because you don't feel anything!) remains an important reason why people develop all sorts of serious diseases nowadays. This results in a drop or depletion of your body's antioxidants, causing a chain reaction of inflammation in different parts of the body and the destruction of connective tissues. The inner wall of the blood vessels are the most common areas affected resulting in the clogging of the arteries. This must be corrected with the intake of fresh raw vegetables either as food or as juice, and moderate amounts of fruits. Vitamin C - specially the right kind of vitamin C - will help reverse these conditions by increasing the antioxidant level and consequently decreasing inflammation. This will also start the repair of the damaged tissues by increasing the production of collagen, the body's major connective tissue component. Are all Vitamin C's the same? Definitely not! Vitamin C comes in different preparations. There's the vitamin C in the natural form whenever we eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and there's vitamin C in the capsule, tablet, or liquid preparations that we buy. Most of us do not get enough vitamin C from our diet because we are not eating right. that's why we need to supplement. But are we taking the right kind? Let's just simplify by just classifying vitamin C into the acidic form of vitamin C and the non-acidic form of vitamin C. The acidic form is your common Ascorbic Acid. This usually comes in 500mg to 1000mg tablet/capsule preparation. It's the cheapest in the market. But if you problems with stomach upsets, then you should be taking the non-acidic form. The Non-acidic forms are usually the salt forms such as sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate, etc. Considering the current dose the body needs to function properly and to cope with our daily stressors, we need to use the non-acidic form which is well tolerated by our stomach. In our several years of practice and prescribing of vitamin C, we have had the best results using the sodium ascorbate form of vitamin C. Sodium Ascorbate vs. Ascorbic Acid CRITERIA ASCORBIC ACID SODIUM ASCORBATE Binder Present None pH Acidic Alkaline Stomach Irritation Present None Intake Always with meals With or without meals Dose Can not take Can take in higher dose, in high dose. recommended. I should also mention that we prefer using vitamin C in capsule for than in tablet form for proper and faster delivery. What's the right kind of capsule for vitamin C? Most vitamin C sodium ascorbate available in the market use gelatin capsules. Gelatin capsules are made from either bovine (beef) or porcine (pork) materials or a combination of both. Recent studies have shown that the best capsule most suitable for sodium ascorbate vitamin C is the vegetable capsule. VEGGIE CAPS. vs. GELATIN CAPS. CRITERIA VEGGIE CAPS. GELATIN CAPS. Source Plant Cow / Pig Material Cellulose/ Carbohydrate Gelatin / Protein Cultural / Religious Suitable Not Suitable Vegetarian concerns Temperature / Humidity Stable Unstable Bacterial Growth Does not support / Supports / NO preservatives needed Needs Preservatives Suitability to Sodium Ascorbate SUITABLE NOT Suitable (Maillard Reaction) Sodium ascorbate must always be placed in a vegetable capsule to prevent its negative interaction and deterioration. This results in the production of toxic chemicals and subsequent decrease in the potency of the powder. When choosing a brand of sodium ascorbate, be careful. Always go for the pure veggie caps. In the Philippines we use the brand Right-CEE sodium ascorbate vitamin C as we have personally seen its production. It's the only brand in the market that uses pure sodium ascorbate crystalline powder (no excipients added compared to other capsules) and they always use a new batch in every production that's why when you open the capsule you'll see a white colored crystal powder - that means the sodium ascorbate is not oxidized (the yellow powders are the ones that are oxidized - so you're vitamin is less potent)... It's packed in a pure vegetable capsule (Vcaps Plus, and not just plain Vcaps which contains plasticizers). Vcaps Plus is the latest technology in veggie caps which was just recently launched that's why Right-CEE is the latest in the Philippines... It uses anatural colorant (not the artificial colors found in other veggie caps.). Artificial colors are not recommended for certain medical conditions as they have been found to aggravate said condition. An example of this is the condition in children, ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder)... So whenever you buy your sodium ascorbate vitamin C, try to think if what you're buying is worth it - does it work? |
Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C
Fruits Exceptionally High in Vitamin C Content
Impact of cooking, storage and processing on Vitamin C . . .Vitamin C is highly sensitive to air, water, and temperature. About 25% of the vitamin C in vegetables can be lost simply by blanching (boiling or steaming the food for a few minutes). This same degree of loss occurs in the freezing and unthawing of vegetables and fruits. Cooking of vegetables and fruits for longer periods of time (10-20 minutes) can result in a loss of over one half the total vitamin C content. When fruits and vegetables are canned and then reheated, only 1/3 of the original vitamin C content may be left. Consumption of vitamin C-rich foods in their fresh, raw form is the best way to maximize vitamin C intake.
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