STROKE
In Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, a study has shown that the more vitamin C a person has in their blood, the lower their risk of stroke. In the past, many studies have found that eating lots of foods which are rich in vitamin C reduces a person’s risk of stroke. But now, these researchers have actually taken blood samples and measured the amount of vitamin C in a person’s blood. In fact, there was a 70% reduction in stroke risk!
What foods are high in vitamin C? Well, unfortunately only juices that are made and then consumed within approximately 30 minutes to one hour still have high levels of vitamin C. This is because vitamin C is a very unstable vitamin; it breaks down easily due to heat, light or liquid. The level of vitamin C that is printed on the container label is the amount of vitamin C that was present in the juice at the time of packaging. By the time it gets to the store, you buy it, get it home and then finally drink it, most of the vitamin C is long gone. Take home message: pre-prepared juices are not a great source of vitamin C, no matter what the label says.
But don’t worry! There are many other great sources of vitamin C and addingthese into your diet will also have other added health benefits.
Lemons, oranges, grapefruit
Red peppers
Broccoli
Guava
Strawberries
Fresh lemons and oranges are high in vitamin C. If you want to use the juice of these fruits, buy a citrus juicer (available at most department stores rather inexpensively) and make the juice fresh. And remember: don’t pick off the "white stuff". The white part of these fruits contain nutrients (called bioflavonoids) that make the benefits of the vitamin C go approximately 33% farther.
Tip: Fresh lemon juice can be taken in warm water first thing in the morning after rising. This helps to cleanse the liver and move the bowels.
Red peppers and broccoli also contain lots of vitamin C – actually they contain
3-4 times as much as oranges! When cooking, be sure to steam lightly as opposed to boiling or cooking on high heat. Or even better yet, eat them raw!
The strawberry is another fruit that is high in vitamin C, but many people complain about getting hives from strawberries. This is usually due to the fact that they are not vine-ripened. If you have this reaction, try running hot water over the berries and then immediately run cold water over them. This removes the "fuzz" from the surface of the strawberries, which is thought to be the cause of the hives.
I’m sure this one is news to most people: the guava fruit contains approximately 9 times the amount of vitamin C as an orange! Guava also supplies vitamin A, phosphorus, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Guava fruit is native to South America and is soft when ripe. Although guava can be prepared into sauces and chutney, you will reap the vitamin C benefits if you eat the fruit raw.
Yokoyama T, Date C, Kokubo Y, et al. Serum vitamin C concentration was inversely associated with subsequent 20-year incidence of stroke in a Japanese rural community: The Shitaba study. Stroke. 2000;31:2287-2294.
