| Okay, so you think you are doing pretty well | | | | If you review these choices you should note |
| with your diet. You prepare most of your | | | | something familiar. They are the very foods |
| meals at home, don't eat much junk food and | | | | that the majority of people now consume! By |
| aren't a fast food eater only rarely. You | | | | eating these foods a person will restrict |
| think vitamins are pretty much | | | | vitamin C intake to less than 5 mg per day. |
| nonsense-particularly since you are eating so | | | | The bare minimum RDA (Recommended Daily |
| well-and besides, you feel pretty healthy. | | | | Alolowance) so far established for vitamin C |
| | | | is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day |
| Well let me rain on that parade a little. | | | | for women -- and this is highly contested as |
| | | | being far too low. There is a huge body of |
| Consider this. In order for nutritional | | | | research now demonstrating that humans need |
| researchers to determine the required levels | | | | several hundred milligrams (some believe more |
| of nutrients, diets must be designed of known | | | | than a thousand) per day to achieve optimal |
| nutrient content with a specific deficiency | | | | health. |
| in the nutrient being studied. Then varying | | | | |
| doses of the nutrient can be added to the | | | | Vitamin C is a critically important nutrient |
| diet to determine at what level symptoms of | | | | for humans since our bodies are unable to |
| deficiency disappear. | | | | synthesize it. In the wild, fruits and |
| | | | vegetables would be the main source. Vitamin |
| In the American Journal of Clinical | | | | C bolsters the immune system and is critical |
| Nutrition, a vitamin C-depleted real meal | | | | to connective tissue integrity and health. |
| menu is described. The diet consists of the | | | | In its absence, the nutritional disease |
| following choices: | | | | scurvy occurs resulting in a sort of meltdown |
| | | | of the basic structure of the body. Teeth |
| Breakfast: Apple Juice, Applesauce, Raisin | | | | fall out, internal bleeding occurs and it can |
| Bran, Shredded Wheat, Unprocessed bran, | | | | cause a miserable death. In days gone by, |
| Hominy grits, Cream of Wheat, Eggs (scrambled | | | | ancient mariners feared the disease more than |
| or hard poached), Cheddar cheese, French | | | | capsizing. But left out to sea long enough |
| toast, Syrup, Yogurt (plain or strawberry), | | | | with only bread and salted meat they were |
| Bran muffin, Glazed doughnut, Mini bagel, | | | | almost sure to suffer it to one degree or |
| Cream cheese, White toast or bread, Wheat | | | | another |
| toast, Margarine, butter, Honey, Peanut | | | | |
| butter, Sugar substitutes, Low-fat cream | | | | Heart disease is a leading killer in modern |
| cheese, Coffee (regular or decaffeinated), | | | | society. Dental disease is epidemic. Both |
| Tea (regular or decaffeinated), Cream, White | | | | of these conditions can be initiated or |
| milk (whole, 2%, or skim), Chocolate milk, | | | | fostered by vitamin C deficiency. There |
| Buttermilk. | | | | presence may in fact be the very marker that |
| | | | vitamin C deficiency is widespread. Coronary |
| Lunch: Chicken noodle soup, Cream of chicken | | | | and cerebral vessels lose their integrity |
| soup, Croutons, Escalloped chicken, Pork | | | | leading to heart attacks and strokes, and |
| chops, Brown gravy, Garlic herb pizza, | | | | periodontitis (gum recession, bleeding and |
| Grilled cheese sandwich, Tuna chunks, Yogurt | | | | oral infection) leads to loss of teeth, foul |
| (plain, vanilla or blueberry), Rice royale, | | | | breath and seeding of the body's organs with |
| Black beans, Rice, Pretzels, Applesauce, Diet | | | | pathogens. |
| Jell-O (TM) , Cookies (chocolate chip or | | | | |
| sugar), Ice cream (vanilla or chocolate), | | | | Vitamin C is not a silly nutrient to be |
| Bread (white or wheat), Saltines, Margarine, | | | | ignored or played with. Don't assume that |
| Butter, Sour cream, Peanut butter, Mustard, | | | | because you seem healthy at the moment that |
| Mayonnaise, Sugar substitute, Relish, Coffee | | | | chronic degenerative disease is not |
| (regular or decaffeinated), Tea (regular, | | | | incubating within. In fact, if you are |
| decaffeinated or iced), Cream | | | | eating exclusively processed modern fare, you |
| | | | can count on it. |
| Dinner: Chicken and rice soup, Cottage | | | | |
| cheese, Croutons, Fried shrimp, Roast beef, | | | | Convert the diet to more fresh and raw foods |
| Brown gravy, Macaroni and cheese, | | | | (See authors The Thinking Person's Master Key |
| Cheeseburger, Chicken salad, Yogurt (plain or | | | | to Health (CD), |
| peach), Pinto beans, Rice, Diet Jell-O (TM) , | | | | |
| Vanilla ice cream, Angel food cake, Bread | | | | Product_Code=EDCD21&Category_Code=EDUAIDS&Pr |
| (white or wheat), Margarine, Butter, Peanut | | | | duct_Count=0. Note that there were no fresh |
| butter, Coffee (regular or decaffeinated), | | | | foods in the test diet. And certainly taking |
| Cream, Tea (regular, decaffeinated or iced) | | | | daily vitamin C supplements (500-1000 mg per |
| | | | day) is prudent insurance given that normal |
| Evening Snacks: Peanut butter crackers, | | | | dietary fare is clearly vitamin C deficient. |
| Graham crackers, Chocolate chip cookie, | | | | |
| Popcorn, Ginger ale, Diet cola | | | | . (Am J Clin Nutr, 1997; 65(5):1434-40. |
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