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