Vitamin C plays an important role in regulating the health of the body. Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient that dissolves easily in water and is easily destroyed by heat. Therefore, when taking vitamin C from food, you need to be careful about the cooking method.

In this article, we will introduce recommended ways to take vitamin C and foods that are rich in vitamin C. We will also introduce precautions when taking vitamin C, so please refer to it.

Points to take vitamin C and daily intake

Vitamin C, also known as "ascorbic acid", is a nutrient closely related to beauty and health. Vitamin C cannot be synthesized in the body, so it must be consumed consciously. Although you can take vitamin C through supplements or intravenous drips, it is best to get it from your diet. From here, we will explain the key points to take in vitamin C and the recommended daily intake.


●Points to remember when taking vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, so it does not accumulate in the body. Therefore, it is important to take it frequently every day, rather than taking a large amount at once. There are no specific rules regarding when to take it. To get into the habit, we recommend that you start taking vitamin C when you're hungry or when you're about to go to bed.

You may find information on the internet that ``foods rich in vitamin C should not be taken in the morning,'' but this is a misunderstanding. Some foods rich in vitamin C contain a component called psoralen, which causes sunburn.

This is thought to have led to the misconception that ``foods rich in vitamin C should be avoided in the morning.''


●What is the recommended amount of vitamin C to take per day?

According to the "Japanese Dietary Intake Standards (2020 Edition)" published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the recommended daily amount for adults is 100 mg.

However, there are various opinions regarding the amount of vitamin C to be taken, and many experts believe that 100 mg or more is necessary, considering its effects on beauty. 2018 “Physicians and Consumers’ Value of Vitamin C”
In a survey on intake, more than half of the doctors who provide vitamin C drip therapy recommended a daily intake of 2,000 mg or more.

[Source] Dietary intake standards for Japanese people (2020 edition) (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10904750/000586563.pdf

What is the recommended daily intake of vitamin C?

Examples of how to take vitamin C

There are several points on how to take vitamin C. Here we will introduce how to take vitamin C.


●Incorporate foods containing vitamin C into your daily meals


・ vegetables

• Paprika
• cabbage
• broccoli
• Mini Tomato
• Green pepper etc.

Vitamin C is destroyed when heated, so it is recommended to eat it raw as much as possible. If you find it difficult to eat it as is, you can heat it in the microwave to make it into soup.

When you make soup, you can also take in the nutrients dissolved in the boiling water. You can efficiently get vitamin C by making pot-au-feu or minestrone. We also recommend cooking in a microwave as this prevents the vitamins from leaching out. Try to heat it up as quickly as possible before eating.


・ Potatoes

Potatoes rich in vitamin C include:

• sweet potato
• potato
• Purple sweet potatoes etc.

Potatoes have a strong image of being rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, but they also contain a lot of vitamins. In the case of potatoes, vitamin C is protected by starch, so it does not break down easily even when heated.


・ fruits

Fruits rich in vitamin C include:

• Acerola
• Yuzu
• lemon
• strawberry
• Kiwifruit etc.

Among these fruits, "Acerola" is a fruit that contains a lot of vitamin C. Acerola (sour variety, raw) contains approximately 17 times more vitamin C than lemon (whole fruit, raw). However, since raw acerola is difficult to obtain, it is best to use acerola juice when incorporating it into your diet.


●Use nutritional supplements such as supplements

If you want to easily take vitamin C, we recommend supplements. There are a variety of products, including powder and capsule types, so choose the one that suits you best.

Also, when choosing supplements, it is recommended to choose a brand whose ingredients and manufacturing system are made public. In rare cases, capsules may contain inferior ingredients. Be careful, as it may actually have a negative effect on your health.

Advantages and precautions of using nutritional supplements to intake vitamin C

Although it is a nutritional supplement that allows you to easily take in nutrients that tend to be lacking, there are some cautions. From here, we will explain the benefits and precautions of using nutritional supplements.


●Benefits

The advantage of using nutritional supplements is that you can easily get vitamin C. Cooking foods containing vitamin C can result in loss of nutrients due to water and heat.

Some supplements can provide a day's worth of vitamin C in just a few tablets. Nutritional supplements are recommended for people who want to take in proper nutrition even when they are busy.


●Notes

Because supplements are so easy to take, it can be easy to take in too much vitamin C. For many supplements, manufacturers provide recommended daily intake amounts. In rare cases, consuming large amounts can have an adverse effect on the body, so be sure to check the recommended daily intake.

Take in vitamin C in a way that suits you

In this article, we mainly explained how to take vitamin C. Although it is desirable to get vitamin C from food, it can be difficult to get enough vitamin C every day. It's a good idea to get enough vitamin C by using supplements and nutritional supplements as needed.




Masayuki Holm Asue (Doctor, Industrial Physician)
Chairman of Medical Corporation LAGOM and Director of Life Clinic Tateshina

Life Clinic Tateshina was opened in 2017 with the motto of "Making people and the community happy through medical care." Specializing in internal medicine and gastroenterology, in addition to general health insurance treatment, he focuses on preventing cancer and dementia, and conducts health checkups/complete medical checkups on a daily basis.
It is the first facility in Nagano Prefecture to be certified by the Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and provides specialized support for clients' well-aging, providing a wide range of medical care including health management, disease prevention, and supplement proposals based on molecular nutritional medicine. We are making improvements every day to make Life Clinic Tateshina a clinic that is just right for our clients, and we are glad that we have Life Clinic Tateshina in Nagano Prefecture.

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