| Okay, so you think you are doing pretty well with | | | | If you review these choices you should note |
| your diet. You prepare most of your meals at home, | | | | something familiar. They are the very foods that the |
| don't eat much junk food and aren't a fast food | | | | majority of people now consume! By eating these |
| eater only rarely. You think vitamins are pretty much | | | | foods a person will restrict vitamin C intake to less |
| nonsense-particularly since you are eating so well-and | | | | than 5 mg per day. The bare minimum RDA |
| besides, you feel pretty healthy. | | | | (Recommended Daily Alolowance) so far established |
| Well let me rain on that parade a little. | | | | for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg |
| Consider this. In order for nutritional researchers to | | | | per day for women -- and this is highly contested as |
| determine the required levels of nutrients, diets must | | | | being far too low. There is a huge body of research |
| be designed of known nutrient content with a | | | | now demonstrating that humans need several |
| specific deficiency in the nutrient being studied. Then | | | | hundred milligrams (some believe more than a |
| varying doses of the nutrient can be added to the | | | | thousand) per day to achieve optimal health. |
| diet to determine at what level symptoms of | | | | Vitamin C is a critically important nutrient for humans |
| deficiency disappear. | | | | since our bodies are unable to synthesize it. In the |
| In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a vitamin | | | | wild, fruits and vegetables would be the main source. |
| C-depleted real meal menu is described. The diet | | | | Vitamin C bolsters the immune system and is critical |
| consists of the following choices: | | | | to connective tissue integrity and health. In its |
| Breakfast: Apple Juice, Applesauce, Raisin Bran, | | | | absence, the nutritional disease scurvy occurs |
| Shredded Wheat, Unprocessed bran, Hominy grits, | | | | resulting in a sort of meltdown of the basic structure |
| Cream of Wheat, Eggs (scrambled or hard poached), | | | | of the body. Teeth fall out, internal bleeding occurs |
| Cheddar cheese, French toast, Syrup, Yogurt (plain or | | | | and it can cause a miserable death. In days gone by, |
| strawberry), Bran muffin, Glazed doughnut, Mini bagel, | | | | ancient mariners feared the disease more than |
| Cream cheese, White toast or bread, Wheat toast, | | | | capsizing. But left out to sea long enough with only |
| Margarine, butter, Honey, Peanut butter, Sugar | | | | bread and salted meat they were almost sure to |
| substitutes, Low-fat cream cheese, Coffee (regular | | | | suffer it to one degree or another |
| or decaffeinated), Tea (regular or decaffeinated), | | | | Heart disease is a leading killer in modern society. |
| Cream, White milk (whole, 2%, or skim), Chocolate | | | | Dental disease is epidemic. Both of these conditions |
| milk, Buttermilk. | | | | can be initiated or fostered by vitamin C deficiency. |
| Lunch: Chicken noodle soup, Cream of chicken soup, | | | | There presence may in fact be the very marker that |
| Croutons, Escalloped chicken, Pork chops, Brown | | | | vitamin C deficiency is widespread. Coronary and |
| gravy, Garlic herb pizza, Grilled cheese sandwich, Tuna | | | | cerebral vessels lose their integrity leading to heart |
| chunks, Yogurt (plain, vanilla or blueberry), Rice | | | | attacks and strokes, and periodontitis (gum |
| royale, Black beans, Rice, Pretzels, Applesauce, Diet | | | | recession, bleeding and oral infection) leads to loss of |
| Jell-O (TM) , Cookies (chocolate chip or sugar), Ice | | | | teeth, foul breath and seeding of the body's organs |
| cream (vanilla or chocolate), Bread (white or wheat), | | | | with pathogens. |
| Saltines, Margarine, Butter, Sour cream, Peanut | | | | Vitamin C is not a silly nutrient to be ignored or |
| butter, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Sugar substitute, Relish, | | | | played with. Don't assume that because you seem |
| Coffee (regular or decaffeinated), Tea (regular, | | | | healthy at the moment that chronic degenerative |
| decaffeinated or iced), Cream | | | | disease is not incubating within. In fact, if you are |
| Dinner: Chicken and rice soup, Cottage cheese, | | | | eating exclusively processed modern fare, you can |
| Croutons, Fried shrimp, Roast beef, Brown gravy, | | | | count on it. |
| Macaroni and cheese, Cheeseburger, Chicken salad, | | | | Convert the diet to more fresh and raw foods (See |
| Yogurt (plain or peach), Pinto beans, Rice, Diet Jell-O | | | | authors The Thinking Person's Master Key to Health |
| (TM) , Vanilla ice cream, Angel food cake, Bread | | | | (CD), |
| (white or wheat), Margarine, Butter, Peanut butter, | | | | roduct_Count=0. Note that there were no fresh |
| Coffee (regular or decaffeinated), Cream, Tea | | | | foods in the test diet. And certainly taking daily |
| (regular, decaffeinated or iced) | | | | vitamin C supplements (500-1000 mg per day) is |
| Evening Snacks: Peanut butter crackers, Graham | | | | prudent insurance given that normal dietary fare is |
| crackers, Chocolate chip cookie, Popcorn, Ginger ale, | | | | clearly vitamin C deficient. |
| Diet cola | | | | . (Am J Clin Nutr, 1997; 65(5):1434-40. |