You knew that Vitamin C prevents scurvy.\u00a0 And when you have a cold you reach for the C supplements.\u00a0 But did you know that Vitamin C can give your fat-burner a boost?<\/p>\n
The University of Arizona did a study in 2006 which showed that the amount of Vitamin C in the blood has a direct correlation to the body\u2019s ability to use fat as fuel, both during exercise and at rest.<\/p>\n
The reason vitamin C is helpful lies in the effect it has on a little protein-like molecule known as carnitine.\u00a0 Carnitine is the \u201cbus\u201d that shuttles fat molecules to the site of fat oxidation in tissue cells.\u00a0 Vitamin C helps run the bus.\u00a0 Getting plenty of vitamin C in your diet keeps the bus system running smoothly and the fat arriving at the depot where it is unloaded and burned as fuel.<\/p>\n
But hold up!\u00a0 Don\u2019t run out to your grocery store and pick up a bottle of vitamin C.\u00a0 Chances are it won\u2019t be helpful. Most vitamin C supplements are synthetic.\u00a0 Look at the label. If it says \u201cascorbic acid\u201d you are probably getting a fake.\u00a0 Ascorbic acid is one component of C, but not the whole thing, and is usually produced from fake stuff in a test tube.\u00a0 It can actually do you more harm than good.\u00a0 Besides failing to do the functions of whole vitamin C, it can force your body to use calcium to synthesize it — calcium that you need for your bones and teeth. It also can make your body more acidic, a breeding ground for illness.<\/p>\n
You are much better off getting vitamin C from food.\u00a0 Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables will help.\u00a0 However, it is a sad fact that our foods are decreasing every year in their vitamin and mineral content.\u00a0 Vitamin C, in particular is destroyed by exposure to light, oxygen, and heat.\u00a0 When foods are highly processed, or even stored for long periods, it decreases the amount of C they contain.\u00a0 About 15% of American adults are deficient in C, up from only 3-5 percent 25 years ago.<\/p>\n
The FDA guidelines now say that you need, not five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, but nine to fifteen!\u00a0 Most people in the US only get two — and that is when french fries and ketchup are counted as vegetables.<\/p>\n
In order to get enough vitamin C, you need to seriously step up your fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 The only other option is to buy a high-quality, food-based vitamin.\u00a0 I say food-based, because it is sad, but true,\u00a0 that the majority of vitamins, especially the cheaper ones, are synthetic.\u00a0 They are produced in a laboratory from coal tar and petroleum byproducts.\u00a0 (I personally find it ironic that we are now running our cars on vegetable fuel and trying to run our bodies on petroleum!)\u00a0 Even those you find at the health food store or touted online are often not the highest quality. In order to cut costs, they usually are not standardized. One study found a 400% difference in the amount of actual vitamin E from one pill to the next — in the same bottle!<\/p>\n
What can you do?\u00a0 Research the company.\u00a0 I use vitamins that are not cheap — but I think good health is worth the investment!\u00a0 The company I buy from feeds the nutrients to a type of mustard plant hydroponically, and then harvests the vitamins from the leaves. That way all the nutrients are there and in a natural form our bodies know how to use.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a good idea to take multi-vitamins, not just singles.\u00a0 In food, vitamins come in groups and work together.\u00a0 Taking just C or just E can mess up the balance.\u00a0 Unless you suspect you have a shortage of a specific nutrient, it\u2019s best to take them together.<\/p>\n
Our bodies are so amazingly created!\u00a0 All the millions of chemical actions and reactions, all the influences of hormones — all the things going steadily going on without our conscious awareness — are astounding!\u00a0 The more I learn about how our bodies function, the more I can heartily say with king David, \u201cI will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.\u00a0 Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth quite well!\u201d (Ps. 139:14)<\/p>\n
Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n
Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You knew that Vitamin C prevents scurvy.\u00a0 And when you have a cold you reach for the C supplements.\u00a0 But did you know that Vitamin C can give your fat-burner a boost? The University of Arizona did a study in 2006 which showed that the amount of Vitamin C in the blood has a direct…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[369,9],"tags":[75,439,485],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clinical-studies","category-eating-plan","tag-fat","tag-metabolism","tag-vitamin-c"],"yoast_head":"\n