Have you "C" it?

What is Vitamin C, exactly?

If you ask me, I'll probably say... C is from many fruits; C is good for health; C builds up our immune system; C is good for flu; C aids in the complexion... ... ... ok that's about all! I'm a total noob when it comes to the ABCs of supplements.

*twirls hair* C also stands for Critiques, Corsets, Craves, Cal. *digressed*

Coming back to the subject, what exactly is Vitamin C? Having some comprehensive search on google, I eventually decided to NOT elaborate what is it because there's waaay too many medical term.

So, go read it yourself over here. Rather than bombarding you all with all the chim chim terms that you and me know nuts about, instead, I'll share with you all what I have found out should there be insufficient amount of Vitamin C intake:

(aiya, actually you all can also read it for the above hyperlink. but considering i'm sucha nice girl, i shall ease your trouble by providing a summary in point form. ^^v)

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Deficiancy in Vitamin C leads to some of the following:

• Easy bleeding and brusing; wounds do not heal (Jinxed: wah, so serious ah?)
• Dental problems (gum bleeding)
• Dry skin
• Tiredness, weak and irratable
• Impaired bone growth (for infants)

So just how much is safe to take? Most experts agree that between 1-3 grams (1,000-3,000 mg) per day is safe and healthy for most active adults. But like anything else,these demands vary from person to person. Via www.bodybuilding.com/fun/now2.htm

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Via The Diet Channel

"...good diet must include multiple servings of fruits and vegetables daily..."

"...boost our scanty vitamin C intake to meet the 100-200 milligrams a day proposed under the new guidelines? Best answer... including generous amounts of fruits and vegetables in our diets each day."

"Unfortunately, our fast-paced society has trained us to seek easy and quick solutions. Taking the time to peel a piece of fruit or slice a vegetable ranks low on our list of priorities."

"...many people will still not find the time to eat plenty of produce. In these situations, supplemental vitamin C is probably a good idea."

"Don't supplement excessively though... however, then consider a modest vitamin C supplement not to exceed 250-500 milligrams daily."

"Easy ways to get your C:

By consuming at least three of the following fruits and veggies daily, you can easily take in 100-200 milligrams of vitamin C..."

1 orange
1 guava
2 kiwis
1 cup cooked spinach
2 cups raw spinach
1 cup cantaloupe
1 mango
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1 grapefruit
1 cup strawberries
2 cups watermelon
1 cup raw or cooked cauliflower
1/2 cup raw or cooked broccoli
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper

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Say.. from the above, I think a normal adult would require a minimum intake of 1000mg of Vitamin C daily, the image below shows each food and the amount of Vitamin C they contain:

Via http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/articles/vitaminc.pdf

In that case, it'd means I'll need to down:

13 x kiwis x per day for 999mg of Vit C;

10 cups x orange juice x per day for 1000mg;

10.5 cups x sliced strawberries x per day for 999mg;

=____="'

Sweet.

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What I'm taking:

NUTRILITE Bio-C Plus

Each NUTRILOCK coated tablet contains 250 mg of vitamin C (includes natural vitamin C from the exclusive NUTRILITE Acerola Cherry Concentrates; Lemon Bioflavonoids Complex from lemon peel and pulp extract; and PHYTONUTRIENTS* plant compounds).

Vitamin C is water-soluble and must be replenished every day.

Is a major antioxidant needed for combating free radicals.

Helps maintain healthy bones, teeth and gums.

Aids in wound healing.

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Suggested use:

My consumption:

Before I begin, I have to say I hated the thought of supplements. I mean, why bother to take them when all you have to do its to increase the amount of vegetable or fruits you eat daily?

Answer is, it is not enough. Unless you eat like the about calculations I've done. Imagine, 13 kiwis everyday or equivalent?

*gag*

I'll usually pop 1 tablet after my meals, to keep me awake. Yes it does! I dunno why, but I do feel slightly more awake 10 mins after the consumption and less tired every morning after I've adopt the habit of taking vitamin C supplements on a regulated basis. And that is also the reason why I chose to blog about Nutrilite's Bio C first amongst the many others.

Frankly, I used to experience fatigue most of the days and hell, definitely unable to survive the lessons at night. Thus most of the time I literally dozed off even before the class break. Let alone paying attention to what the lecturer was crapping about. Either that or I consume a large, unhealthy amount of caffeine.

Well of course there are sweets and drinks that has Vitamin C. But what I'm saying is, it really is not enough unless you eat a basket full of fruits or vegetable which makes you look like you are a rabbit or koala or something...

So, introducing supplements into you daily diet doesn't seem to be a bad thing afterall!

P.S.: Now that the pandemic flu is going on and around, and half of my office are down with flu syndrome, pls my dears, really, consume more Vitamin C ok?! Eat 13 kiwis if you really need to! Haha.

Disclaimer: The above are based on my own findings, opinions and experiences. Results may defer for other individuals.