FitSugar

Seasonal Fruits and Veggies High in Vitamin C

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:37:07 PDT

While studies are mixed as to whether or not vitamin C reduces the severity of a cold, it is an essential vitamin that keeps your immune system strong and healthy. Here are the top five vitamin C packed fruits and vegetables that are in season during November.

Guava (one medium fruit / 280 percent vitamin C daily value)
Broccoli (one cup / 168 percent vitamin C daily value)
Orange (one medium fruit / 128 percent vitamin C daily value)
Brussels Sprouts (one cup / 125 percent vitamin C daily value)
Kiwi (one medium fruit / 120 percent vitamin C daily value)

Remember that vitamin C is water-soluble, which means cooking reduces the vitamin content. Lightly steam or blanch your broccoli and brussels sprouts to maintain as many nutrients as possible. Other seasonal vegetables high in vitamin C include bok choy, butternut squash, and leafy greens like Swiss chard. What is your favorite way to load up on vitamin C?

Picture Source: Flickr User Esther Gibbons

Nutritional Source: Calorie Count

Learn to Love: Kiwis

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:00:01 PDT

Last week, YumSugar had a box of kiwis up for grabs, but she was having trouble finding any takers. Kiwis are a polarizing fruit, but they're definitely a healthy food worth trying.

This fuzzy-skinned fruit is packed with vitamin C: one medium kiwi contains about 70.5 mg of C, just slightly less than one medium orange. Better yet, buy organic, and vitamin C and polyphenol levels are even higher.

With just 50 calories per kiwi, the green flesh is also high in vitamin E, potassium, and dietary fiber. You can peel them or add a bit of texture by leaving the skin on (vigorously washed of course). They're good in fruit salads and green salads. Can't convince your friends to eat kiwi? Perhaps you'd have more luck serving up a kiwi cocktail.

What Does Your RDI Look Like: Vitamin C

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:00:05 PDT

I don't worry too much about vitamin C, since citrus fruits are high in the vitamin and eat some just about every day, especially during the Summer. This vitamin is beneficial for protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.

An adult woman doesn't need much - 75 mg of vitamin C a day. Since it's a common vitamin found in many foods, it's easy to get your RDI, but you want to make sure not to consume more than 2,000 mg a day. Taking too much can lead to dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, kidney stones (because the kidneys filter waste from your blood), and inflammation of the stomach lining.

Are you getting your RDI? To find out what surprising foods contain vitamin C,

Food	Amount of Vitamin C
1 medium orange	82.8 mg
1 medium tangerine	23.5 mg
Half a grapefruit	45.5 mg
1 cup orange juice	124 mg
1 cup tangerine juice	76.6 mg
1 cup grapefruit juice	93.9 mg
1/2 cup papaya, cubed	43.3 mg
1 medium kiwi	70.5 mg
6 medium strawberries	42.6 mg
1/2 cup cantaloupe, balled	32.5 mg
1/2 cup guava	188.5 mg
1/2 cup pineapple	39.5 mg
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced	95 mg
1/2 cup raw broccoli	40.6 mg
1/2 cup cooked kale	26.7mg

Reader Review of the Day: Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder

BellaSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:11 PDT

The benefits of vitamin C are plenty. Not only does this antioxidant protect skin from free radical damage, it also smooths and helps to fade hyperpigmentation. Reader Bellaressa recently reviewed Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder ($35), and here's what she had to say about it:

I had hyperpigmentation and it was suggested that I try this product. I started using this in the a.m. with my Oil of Olay and I am amazed. Since I started using this six weeks ago, the brown spots have started to fade more rapidly. It used to take me a full 15 months to 24 months to fade spots. My skin in brighter, I haven't had severe hormone breakouts in the last six weeks, and my skin looks just fabulous.

Let us know what you find to be fabulous these days, and perhaps you'll be featured on this daily featured post. You know the drill. Head over to the Product Reviews section and fill us in.

Vitamins Reduce the Benefits of Your Workout

FitSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 03:00:00 PDT

Free radicals create oxidative stress on a cellular level and have long been considered a major culprit of the aging process. Since antioxidants clean up those free roaming bits of "reactive oxygen compounds," one would think vitamins loaded with free radicals would help folks live longer. However, last Spring, researchers found that taking high doses of vitamins may decrease life span rather than lengthen it.

Now a new study has found that taking moderate doses of vitamins E and C interferes with the benefits of exercise, specifically the increase of metabolism and diabetes prevention through insulin sensitivity.

It seems the antioxidants found in vitamins C and E are too efficient at mopping up free radicals, and our muscles need a little bit of cellular damage caused by oxidative stress to jump-start their natural defense systems. Researchers wholeheartedly believe more research should be done in this area, and that we should not worry about getting too much of these vitamins in our diet naturally; it is supplements that should possibly be avoided.

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Reader Review of the Day: The Body Shop Vitamin C Moisturizer SPF 15

BellaSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:00:48 PST

Maybe you know that vitamin C is an antioxidant responsible for fighting the signs of aging or that this essential nutrient helps burn fat. But, when reader Brig482 tried out The Body Shop Vitamin C Moisturizer SPF 15 ($15), she was disappointed by the paltry amount of actual vitamin C in the list of ingredients. Here's what she had to say:

I was on a mission to find a good vitamin C product for my face, and before I did my research I was talked into buying this from The Body Shop. Bad idea. It's a decent moisturizer, but the actual amount of vitamin C is less than 1 percent! For a vitamin C product to work effectively, you need at least 10 percent.

Would you like to voice your opinion, with the possibility of being featured on our daily Reader Review of the Day post? Head on over to our Product Reviews site and let us know what products you like/don't like. It's just that easy.

Diet Tip: Don't Skimp on Vitamin C

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:30:00 PDT

Vitamin C might not keep you from catching a cold, but not getting an adequate amount of the vitamin can keep you from burning fat.

A study from Arizona State found that folks with low-blood concentrations of vitamin C, who walked on treadmills for a 60-minute session, burned 25 percent less fat than other participants with adequate amounts of C. Fortunately, a simple dose of vitamin C remedied the lackluster fat-burning potential of the participants. Vitamin C is necessary for creating the compound carnitine, which helps turn fat into fuel.

While the recommended daily intake of vitamin C is low, 90mg for men and 75mg for women, many health advocates recommend larger daily doses. Holistic health doctor Andrew Weil recommends 200mg daily, while the Linus Pauling Institute (named for the scientist that made the vitamin famous) recommends 400mg daily. The health team at Real Age recommends consuming 1,200mg daily between foods and supplements.

On this note, I am going to add some strawberries to my cereal tomorrow morning since a half cup contains 42mg of vitamin C.

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You Asked: Can I Take Too Much Vitamin C?

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:30:00 PDT

You're asking and I am answering.

Dear Fit,
I am suffering from an awful Summer cold and have been taking two or three 1000 mg vitamin C supplements and drinking an EmergenC a day. Is there any danger in taking too much of the vitamin? Can I overdose on vitamin C?
-Sniffles and C

Summertime colds are the worst. Sorry to hear you are suffering. It sounds like you are determined to get rid of this cold, but I fear you are being overly aggressive with the vitamin C. I think this is a great question, and to hear my answer, just

First thing's first, the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin C is only 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. For reference, one large orange contains about 160 percent of your daily C needs.

Eating more than 75 mg of vitamin C is easy to do and not likely to harm you. Since vitamin C is water soluble, meaning your body doesn't produce or store the nutrient so you need to eat it everyday, your body will flush out the excess. Taking mega doses of supplements, on the other hand, can have an adverse effect on your system. It can lead to nausea, diarrhea, kidney stones (because the kidneys filter waste from your blood) and inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis). In extreme cases it can cause faintness, dizziness and fatigue. Definitely not the results you're looking for.

I hate to burst your proactive cold fighting bubble, but most research indicates that taking 200 mg or more of vitamin C a day after you're already sick does nothing to shorten the duration of a cold. You need to take the supplements daily with the possibility of shortening your cold by eight percent. The common cold generally lasts seven to ten days, and the best remedy is to drink extra liquids and get plenty of rest.

Hope you feel better soon.

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Shorten Your Cold With Vitamin C

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:30:00 PST

Since we're in the middle of cold and flu season, it's a good idea to get your daily vitamin C. It won't prevent you from getting sick, but it can shorten the duration of your sickness if taken daily. We all know that oranges are great sources, but so many other foods you eat have surprising amounts. Take this short quiz to find out how much you should be getting a day and which foods you should eat.

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Take the Quiz

Wake Up and Drink OJ: Vitamin C Fights Stress

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:45:00 PST

Let's face it, the holiday season is stressful. Couple that with all the runny noses that surround you and it becomes clear – vitamin C is your ally. Aside from helping shorten the duration of a cold, fighting wrinkles, and helping absorb iron, vitamin C is a stress buster. Boosting your system with extra C before stressful events can help bring your blood pressure back to normal more quickly. Plus it can help even out your cortisol levels after a taxing situation. Cortisol is a brain chemical that is part of our response to stress, and while it is good to have around in the short term, you really don't want it lingering in your system. Hence the importance of Vitamin C since it helps brings cortisol levels back to normal.

Fit's Tips: Winter is citrus season, so it easy to get vitamin C from food sources. If citrus isn't your thing, check out this list of citrus alternatives.

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