What is Vitamin C and How Does It Fight with Flu?
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in repairing tissues. It's a water-soluble vitamin also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate. It works as an antioxidant to protect cells against the damage caused by free radicals. It possesses antiviral properties and is an essential factor in producing antiviral immune responses during the initial stage of viral infection through the production of type 1 interferons. Type 1 interferons act in a paracrine mode and have numerous effects on surrounding cells. They prepare them to ward off possible infections and boost the immune system to fight against the flu.
5 Tips to Boost Vitamin C Intake:
1. Take Foods that are High in Vitamin C Daily:
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of Vitamin C. Below are some fruits and vegetables that are packed in Vitamin C and one can eat daily. The USDA recommends 5 to 9 servings of them per day.
- Oranges (53.2 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
- Strawberries (58.8 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
- Green Pepper (242.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
- Red Pepper (143.7 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
- Broccoli (48.2 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
- Mustard Spinach/Komatsuna (130 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of quantity)
2. Don't Overcook Foods:
Vitamins can be destroyed by heat and Vitamin C is the most easily wiped out vitamin among them. It loses its goodness above 70 degrees. Foods high in Vitamin C should be cooked quickly without exposure to high heat. Also, it's a water-soluble vitamin so cook food without evaporating too much water as it evaporates with it.
3. Don't Leave cut Fruits and Vegetables for Long:
After cutting fruits and vegetables, don't leave them bearing for long as Vitamin C is sensitive to oxygen and falters in the open air. Vitamin C in fruits and vegetables remains protected by breaking up as long as the skin is uncut. For storing cut fruits and vegetables use airtight containers or simply refrigerate them. The best is to eat them just after cutting them to get maximum nutrition.
4. Don't Use Cast Iron Pan:
Research shows that cooking foods high in Vitamin C on a cast-iron pan lose sustenance. Don't tempt to make tomato sauces and puree on cast-iron utensils.
5. Don't Over Freeze foods:
Foods lose their Vitamin C when freezing for more than 2 months. So as not to eschew this vitamin goodness, keep the refrigerator at 0-10 degrees to minimise nutrition loss.
How much Vitamin C to fight Infection?
The daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women. The upper limit is 2000 mg per day. Researchers found that taking 200 mg of Vitamin C per day can reduce the duration of the cold by 8% in adults and 14% in children. This can help with flu symptoms as well. For more details, check the post, 'Food Data Chart - Vitamin C'.
Mind Map
Disclaimer: If not sure about taking a Vitamin C diet for flu talk to a general practitioner.
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Awesome, yeah Vitamin C is amazing. I take a vitamin C vitamin. As well as eat an orange pretty much every day. And then get it in other foods, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this we need to know more about vitamin C now that we have this pandemic and he can help us with the flu
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! I have to do a better job of drinking my OJ every day. I used to have a glass every morning but I got out of the habit. We have to boost our immune system.
ReplyDeleteWe've been trying to be more mindful about the amount of vitamins we are taking as well as making sure we have the right foods in the house.
ReplyDeletewhen i was small , and feeling ill my doctor used to prescribe to me vit c tablets , now as an adult i always make sure i have enough of vit c in my diet kind regards Pati Robins @style-squeeze blog
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for these practical tips! Yes, we will follow these advice. Vitamin C is really helpful to strengthen our immune system.
ReplyDeletewow. i had no idea that cast iron can remove those necessary vitamins. thanks so much for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI drink Vitamin C everyday and it helps me fight viruses and help me boost my immune system. Also, it's perfect for my skin.
ReplyDeleteI need to use my cast iron skillet to help with chronic anemia (low iron), but I also get lots of vitamin c through a couple of different methods. Vitamin D is also in my daily plan.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I've been doing my best to get more vitamin C into my diet in order to boost my immune system.
ReplyDeleteHaving vitamin C is good for our body and health. You gave us tons of information and understanding about it.
ReplyDeleteThose are some wonderful tips to keep in mind and vitamin c is good for boosting us to be healthy. My mom always makes us vitamin c juice once in a while.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Vitamin C is very important for everyone of us!
ReplyDeleteI usually end up taking an Emergen-C if I feel like I'm getting sick. It usually works like a charm!
ReplyDeleteI take my vitamin C every single day. It definitely helps!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all the benefits and food to get it. I've been supplementing my vitamin C in hopes of providing some protection.
ReplyDeleteI love to eat strawberries to get my vitamin C! Every morning I have frozen strawberries in my protein shake.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. Far too many people forget that in overcooking our food, we will lose out on so many of the great vitamins and nutrients that we would otherwise benefit from. A small shift in how we're cooking can have a huge impact on our overall health and well-being!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this we need to know more about vitamin C now that we have this pandemic and we need to strengthen our immune system!
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips we need consider. Vitamin C is really important to take to strengthen our immune system.
ReplyDeleteVitamin c helps with boosting your immune system . Vitamin C also helps digest the iron in your body. I eat 3-4 sources of vitamin c everyday.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips that everyone should be following right now!
ReplyDeleteYAS! I have always taken lots of supplements, and Vitamin C is right in there with all the rest!!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the thing about cast iron, good info to have! Also, I take 2000 mg of Vit C per day, with a host of other things in hopes of keeping my immune system in check! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI mainly use supplements because I dont like eating fruits.
ReplyDeleteOh, everybody need to read information like this. Especially during this CoVID crisis
ReplyDeleteThe foods listed above are always in our grocery list every week! Kids are now loving eating oranges to boost their immune system.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding me why I my Saturday morning mimosas are so important. And why I should remember to take my vitamins!
ReplyDeleteSuch great tips. I think I need to increase Vit C in my food intake.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know food lose their vitamins when it over freez.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this helpful tips we should take more Vitc to boost our immune system
ReplyDeleteThat's such an informative post. Thanks for sharing such useful knowledge
ReplyDeleteThese are good tips to remember. Vitamin C is important for immune health
ReplyDeleteVery useful tips. I actually already apply some of them and I completely agree about not overfreezing food items.
ReplyDeleteI have been taking vitamin c for years. But the tricky part is I'm always anemic, so I always have to figure out when to take Vitamin c and iron without them canceling each other out.
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ReplyDeleteI knew a lot about the importance of vitamin C but objectively I didn't know everything. Interesting.
Darn, you broke my heart. I love my cast iron pan. It's like my go to whenever I'm in the kitchen. I guess its good that I love strawberries...particularly this time of the year. I think the way I eat them, I'll be good to go on the Vit-C dosage.
ReplyDeleteI've been making a good attempt at eating more vit c rich foods lately to help with my immune system. I remember learning the majority of this advice during nutrition class in university, but it's never a bad time for a refresher!
ReplyDeletei need some more vitamin c. i always forget to have fun!! forget that it's so great for your immunity
ReplyDeleteI always have some sort of food or drink that has Vitamin C during all seasons, not only during the winter, as it is a great vitamin to build and protect the immune system!
ReplyDeleteI'm from Florida and oranges are pretty much our number one go to for vitamin C. It's a staple food in our house. We eat ton of bell peppers and strawberries and broccoli as well. Great article! Vitamin C is so important for your diet and especially right now.
ReplyDeleteI love eating oranges! Lots of vitamin C!
ReplyDeleteI always make sure to include a lot of Vitamin C in my daily diet. It really makes a difference for sure.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips. This is really helpful for me most especially at this time where immune system has to fight hard. Gotta eat my vitamin C well!
ReplyDeleteThese are some great tips to boost vitamin C to avoid flu. I drink a lot of water and take my daily dose of vitamins C.
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