By Ganda Putra
You probably see vitamin C mentioned in magazines, newspapers, online, and on television more than any other vitamin. The amazing thing is many people still succumb to vitamin C deficiency symptoms. These symptoms can creep up on you and in the most severe cases can be quite dramatic.
Scurvy – The Extreme Limit of Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms
Scurvy is not very common in the western world today. This disease was rampant among sailors and other people in bygone eras when fresh fruits and vegetables were not easily available. The symptoms of Scurvy are very informative though since they indicate the progression of extreme vitamin C deficiency. The symptoms include:
- Skin spots
- Bleeding gums
- Loss of teeth
- Slow healing wounds
- Depression
- Jaundice
- Death
In most cases of vitamin C deficiency you will see more limited symptoms including:
- Increased risk of atherosclerosis.
- Smokers experience higher risk of infection by airborne diseases.
- Slow healing wounds.
- Soft gums.
- Bleeding gums.
These symptoms range from annoying to extremely risky. With the ease of maintaining a normal vitamin C level it is amazing anyone allows this risk.
The Ease of Avoiding Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms
It only requires a very low amount of vitamin C to avoid all of these conditions and to improve your health. The North American Academy of Science recommends on intake of 60-95 milligrams of Vitamin C daily.
Here are a few food items which make this very simple (each item assumes 100 grams of food):
- Green Chili Pepper – 244mg of Vitamin C
- Broccoli – 90mg of Vitamin C
- Kiwi Fruit – 90mg of Vitamin C
- Brussels Sprouts – 80mg of Vitamin C
- Strawberry – 60mg of Vitamin C
- Orange – 50mg of Vitamin C
- Mango – 28 mg of Vitamin C
- Tomato – 10 mg of Vitamin C
- Cantaloupe – 40mg of Vitamin C
- Grapefruit – 30mg of Vitamin C
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What shocks most people on this list are the oranges and grapefruit. These two fruits are normally considered to be among the highest in vitamin C content by the average person. As you can see they are far performed by broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and green chili peppers. You can eat a wide diversity of fruits and vegetables to reach your daily requirements of vitamin C.
Supplement with Vitamin C
The other method to keep your vitamin C levels high is with supplements. A good daily vitamin or a vitamin C supplement can take care of your daily requirements in one swallow. Using supplements along with a good mix of fresh fruits and vegetables is the ideal mix to avoid any health issues or vitamin C deficiency symptoms.
One last note on supplementing, you must consume and supplement with vitamin C daily. It is a water soluble vitamin and washes out of the body easily. While missing a few days will not lead to the immediate onset of vitamin C deficiency symptoms as long term avoidance of healthy eating and proper nutritional supplements could.
