Vitamin C | A Metabolic Plan

This year more than ever, talk of the flu season is in the news. What with both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 or swine flu, what’s a person to do?

Let put some of this in perspective. While there is a huge push for people to get both flu shots, statistics say that the seasonal flu shot is not terribly effective. Instead, build up your immune system so if you do get the flu, it will be minor.

Here are some of the suggestions I have read by doctors.

Wash your hands regularly – carry some Purcell or disinfectant wipes and use them regularly.
Vitamin C 1000mg – 2-3 times/day.
Vitamin D 1000 IU 2 times daily for children and up to 4000 IU for adults. Research has shown that it reduces serious bouts of flu.
At the first signs of flu-like symptoms, there is a natural flu medicine Oscilloccinum that is effective – You can read about it here http://www.oscillo.com/ (there’s even a coupon) and can be purchased at health food stores as well as WalMart.
There are excellent immune enhancing products. Look for ones containing Wellmune WG beta glucan.
Get plenty of rest.

With these tips, you will have a good chance of staying healthy through this coming flu season. Oh and don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

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Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of the safest and most effective nutrients and is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues. Higher blood levels of vitamin C may be an indicator of overall health. In over 100 studies in more than 10 years, vitamin C was shown to help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, eye disease and skin wrinkling.

Vitamin C is involved in many body functions, including formation of collagen, absorption of iron, the immune system, wound healing, and the maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth.

New studies show that vitamin C reacts with and neutralizes the toxic byproducts of human fat metabolism, indicating it has a complex protective role against toxic compounds formed from oxidized lipids. Oxidation of lipids has been the focus of considerable research in recent years, because of the role it may play in cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and autoimmune disorders. The toxic products produced by fat oxidation may not only cause genetic damage, but also may play a role in compounds that damage proteins. For instance, there’s a protein in LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, which if damaged by toxic lipids can increase the chance of atherosclerotic lesions. Apparently when toxic lipids cause white blood cells to stick to the arterial wall, that can lead to inflammation and ultimately to heart disease or stroke. Researchers are studying that process and the role that micronutrients such as vitamin C play in the prevention of this. Studies show that those with the highest concentrations of vitamin C in their blood were associated with 42% lower stroke risk than those with the lowest concentrations.

Vitamin C is also beneficial to individuals whose immune system is weakened due to stress — an increasing problem for many. Vitamin C is one of the nutrients sensitive to stress and is the first nutrient to be depleted in alcoholics, smokers and obese individuals.

Most of the studies used 500 daily milligrams of vitamin C to achieve health results which is much higher than the RDA of 75-90 milligrams a day for adults. Unless you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you may need to take a dietary supplement of vitamin C to gain all the benefits. Some scientists recommend taking 500 milligrams a day, in addition to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, since only 10% to 20% of adults get the recommended nine servings daily. Some types vitamin C may irritate the stomach, so take a non-acidic, buffered form of the vitamin. The safe upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams a day.

Eating a varied diet rich in all the nutrients is the best strategy for good health. If you eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, you will get plenty of vitamin C plus other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are good for disease prevention.

Water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C, must be continuously supplied in the diet to maintain healthy levels. Eat vitamin-C-rich fruits and vegetables raw, or cook them with minimal water so you don’t lose some of the water-soluble vitamin in the cooking water. The foods richest in vitamin C are citrus fruits, green peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Other good sources include dark leafy greens, cantaloupe, papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, winter squash and pineapples.

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Pureed Sweet Peas

Filed under: health and nutrition, healthy recipes; Tagged as: healthy recipe, healthy recipes, nutrition, peas, recipe, sunflower seeds, thiamin, vita-mix, Vitamin C, vitamin E

Taken from the world’s healthiest foods at www.whfoods.org

This is a unique way to enjoy green peas that makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes and provides you with extra flavor and nutrition at the same time. And one serving contains 53% of the daily value (DV) for thiamin, 47% DV for vitamin C and 47% DV for vitamin E. Enjoy!

Prep and Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

8 oz frozen peas
1 medium onion chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 + 2 TBS chicken or vegetable broth
2 TBS sunflower seeds
1 TBS minced fresh herbs such as mint, basil, chervil, or parsley depending on what you are serving peas with
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop onions and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to help bring out their health-promoting properties.
Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 4 minutes stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
Add 2 TBS broth, peas, herb and cook until tender, about 3 more minutes. Puree in blender with sunflower seeds, season with salt, pepper and serve.Serves 2

Healthy Cooking Tips:

Make sure you blend peas well, stopping the blender ( I use a Vita-Mix) periodically to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula. You want the sunflower seeds to get well ground. They add a lot of body to the puree of peas. You want them to be nice and smooth.

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The big buzz for this week is the swine flu. It’s of concern and it should be. We’re living in a global society and germs are easily transmitted around the world in a very short time. I’ve heard scientists say that while the leading causes of death today are heart attack, cancer, etc., the leading cause in the coming years will be epidemics.
So what can we do about this? Well, just as there are things we can do to lower our risk of heart attacks and cancer, so there are things we can do to improve our immune system to better fight off the germs that can spread so rapidly and cause so much sickness.
Many of the things are the same – like eating right, getting adequate sleep and exercise. But what else can you do? I truly believe that our diet is at the core of our health but I also know that the nutritional value we receive from our foods is not what it used to be for various reasons. So we turn to natural supplements to boost our immune system in times of stress, when it is compromised and needs extra help.

The Vitamin C Booster

Vitamin C has also long been viewed as an immune system booster. For example, vitamin C has been shown to boost antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities and to increase the production of white blood cells. Vitamin C protects cells during the inflammatory response our body has from the attack of foreign invaders.

In fact, Vitamin C is essential for proper immune function. Because the human body cannot manufacture Vitamin C, we are dependent on dietary intake to provide adequate amounts of this essential nutrient. Vitamin C concentrations decline rapidly in blood plasma and white blood cells during infections, suggesting that illness increases one’s need for this nutrient.

Immune-Boosting Power of Beta-Glucan
There many studies showing that Beta-Glucan, a polysaccharide (which is a relatively complex carbohydrate), can be a biological response modifier (BRM) because of its ability to activate the immune system. Beta-glucans improve the body’s immune system defense against foreign invaders by enhancing the ability of our natural killer cells to respond to and fight a wide range of challenges such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The studies have included issues such as wound healing, infection prevention, arthritis, radiation exposure and even cancer treatment. Studies in Japan have been very encouraging with regard to cancer patients and radiation exposure.

There is a company, who has developed a product (Wellmune WGP®) which includes beta-glucans. They gave it to fire-fighters in Montana a couple of years ago. Obviously, these people are subjected to extreme amounts of toxins from the heavy smoke and fire. What they found is that those who were taking the product with the Beta-Glucans had fewer respiratory issues and illnesses than those without the added boost to their immune system.

Univera has developed a new product to enhance their line of immune products called ImmunoBurst™. It not only contains Wellmune ® but several other ingredients which enhance the immune system – check it out at www.metabolicplan.com.

These supplements are a great addition for people but they don’t replace a healthy lifestyle. What are you doing to improve your health?

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