It is well excepted that vitamin c is important for your immune system because your white blood cells need it to function properly. The problem? Most people think that drinking orange juice and other fruit juices, is great for your immune system because of the high amounts of vitamin C that these juices contain. The challenge is that these juices contain high amounts of SUGAR and the chemical structure of vitamin c is SIMILAR to the chemical structure of sugar! So when you eat something with both vitamin c and sugar, these two molecules compete for absorption! And who do you think wins? This research out of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 100 grams of sugar decreased the effectiveness of the subject’s white blood cells by 40%! So not only does sugar compete with vitamin C for absorption, sugar actually paralyzes your white blood cells, which hinders your immune system for up to 5 hours! At this point you may wonder what 100 grams of sugar looks like: 3 of these orange juices contain 99 grams of sugar! 1 of these cokes contain 136 grams of sugar! And this breakfast contains about 92 grams of carbohydrates, most of which will quickly turn into sugar! So what’s the solution? Eat foods with minimal sugar and high amounts of vitamin c! That way you will absorb the vitamin c and it can be used by your immune system, rather than absorbing sugar and hindering your immune system. Which foods are these? In general your best bet is vegetables and berries because most other fruits are going to be very high in sugar. If you want more specific recommendations, click the link below to download this Principled Nutrition Guide and do your best to stay in the green zone. As always, if you have any questions please reach out and we will do our best to get you what you need Have a blessed day!
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