Asparagus is one mighty vegetable with a wide array of health benefits.  Whether you are looking for food with excellent health benefits, or a highly nutritious vegetable that can actually assist in weight loss, Mr.  Asparagus is your man.

How Asparagus Helps Weight Loss

Asparagus contains a non-essential (cannot be manufactured by the body) amino acid called asparagine.  Asparagine, combined with the minerals in asparagus, stimulates the kidneys and improves the circulatory process.  This makes it an excellent diuretic which can lead to an accelerated metabolism by flushing out fatty deposits that may lodge themselves on cells.  Diuretics break down fatty deposits into small chunks for easier elimination from the body.

Asparagus contacts inulin, a naturally occurring type of polysaccharide (several simple sugar molecules linked together) produced by plants that generally don’t contain starch.  Inulin, a fiber, is very beneficial for the colon and digestive system.  In the intestinal tract, inulin feeds the healthy bacteria making it more difficult for the pathogenic bacteria such as candida to survive.  In fact, inulin actively promotes strains of probiotics in the colon.  This improves digestion as well as giving other health benefits such as immune support.

Because fiber is not digested, it has no caloric effects and won’t raise blood sugar levels.  Many of the new, natural non-caloric sweeteners on the market contain inulin.  Inulin  has many other health benefits including the promotion of calcium absorption and even contains disease fighting substances such as antioxidants.

Asparagus is low in calories (about 4 calories per spear), packed with nutrients, low in sodium and even has some protein.  Whether through its diuretic properties, or  digestion support, asparagus can probably help you in some regard with the battle of the bulge.

Other Benefits of Asparagus

Though I have been mostly talking about the weight loss benefits of asparagus, it does help the body in many other ways including:

·         Mood stabilization

·         Heart support

·         Cholesterol lowering

·         Immune support

·         Prevention of bladder and urinary infections

·         Helping fight fatigue

·         Stimulating hair production

·         Lowering blood pressure

Asparagus is definitely on my list of perfect foods. It can be prepared in many different ways and has a wonderful flavor.  It is even excellent raw.  I just have one request – please leave a few spears on the store shelves for me.  I don’t need to lose weight, but I do enjoy eating it!

Best regards,

Peter

The importance of good digestion often gets overlooked.  This article was prompted by a story that a friend told me last week.   My friend, mostly a vegetarian, had begun having terrible gas several weeks earlier.  She said she had never had such bloating and flatulence in her life.   Not only was her digestion poor, she was also plagued, for the first time in her life, with insomnia.  Subsequently, she became ill for a few days and ate very little.  During that time she noticed that the symptoms almost disappeared.   She found out the offending food was the organic beans she had been eating daily, even though they were soaked for 24 hours and rinsed prior to cooking.  Not only did her indigestion abate when she removed the beans from her diet, she started sleeping well again.  Her sleep abnormality was directly linked to her digestion.

The Importance of Enzymes

More than 3000 types of enzymes have been identified in the human body.  There are three types of enzymes: metabolic enzymes, digestive enzymes and food enzymes.  Metabolic enzymes are manufactured by the body's own cells to perform highly specific tasks required in regulating the blood, tissues, and organs.  Our bodies would not work without them.

Digestive enzymes are secreted by the pancreas and break down foods ensuring we get the greatest nutritional value from what we eat.

Food enzymes are enzymes supplied to us directly from the food we eat.  They include digestive enzymes but also enzymes particular to each specific food.  Food enzymes help us “predigest” foods.  This means that they start to break down the food in our body before our bodies’ enzymes begin to do it.  Keep in mind, however, food enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118 degrees F.   

Dr. Edward Howell, a pioneer in enzyme therapy, states that enzymes are the very substances that make life possible.  He directly links the length of life of an organism with the rate of exhaustion of the enzymes in the body.  Dr. Howell theorizes that humans are given a supply of enzyme energy at birth and we must replenish our supply or run the risk of ill health. 

Enzymes and Disease

When a person eats cooked food, devoid of enzymes, the body must expend a lot of energy to break down the various nutrients when it should be using this energy for more important tasks.  A processed (cooked) diet weakens the body.  Because the body must now work overtime to produce digestive enzymes it has less ability to produce metabolic enzymes which are involved in many vital tasks such as maintaining a healthy immune system, detoxifying the blood and other organs.

Auto-immune diseases, allergies, arthritis and even heart disease are all linked to enzyme deficiencies. 

Handling an Enzyme Deficiency

Increasing your raw food intake and taking enzyme supplements can be very beneficial in preventing and healing numerous health challenges.  Supplementation can be very helpful because of the high concentration of enzymes in these formulas which can dissolve undigested substances circulating in the blood that cause damage to various organs.  For example, a formula that contains “protease” helps breaks down protein.  Bacteria, viruses and even cancer cells are made up of protein.  Having less undigested protein in the body may help to prevent several unwanted illnesses. 

If you are on a high protein diet, I highly recommend you use an enzyme supplement.

One of my favorite enzyme formulas contains papaya.  Papaya has many beneficial vitamins and minerals but the primary therapeutic benefit is derived from its enzyme, papain.  Papain helps the stomach to break down protein easily in order to facilitate the absorption of nutrients.  It also has anti-inflammatory effects that help soothe the stomach when it is upset.  Papain also helps dissolves fats which relieves heartburn. 

Last year I lost 10 pounds without even trying by eating chewable enzymes with my meals.

And my friend?  I now have her on a regimen of chewable papaya enzymes with meals, including meals with beans, and she is doing well.

Enzymes are key to our vitality.  Increase the amount of raw food in your diet and take a good enzyme formula that works for your body.

Best regards,

Peter

Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin at all.  It is defined as an essential dietary factor, a prohormone (precursor to a hormone which enhances the strength of the hormone).  It is produced from the interaction of sunlight in the skin.

There are 2 major forms of vitamin D – D2 and D3.  Vitamin D3 is the more active one and the one usually found in supplemental form.  Studies show that many people are deficient in vitamin D, even people that live in sunny climates and get more sun exposure.  The absence of vitamin D creates interference with the functioning of a hormone called “leptin”, which signals to the brain that you are full and should stop eating.  Excess body fat absorbs and holds onto vitamin D, making it unavailable to the body which turns into a bit of a catch 22 situation – a deficiency in vitamin D can make it difficult to lose weight, but having excess fat on the body can cause you to become deficient in vitamin D.

There have been numerous studies completed with very positive results using vitamin D supplementation to enhance weight loss (approximately 1000 iu  - 2000 iu per day).   If you have been having difficulty slimming down, you may have a deficiency in this vitamin.

Other Benefits of Vitamin D

Calcium Absorption

Maintaining proper blood calcium levels is vital for the nervous system as well as bone growth and density. One of the most important roles of vitamin D is maintaining the skeletal calcium balance as well as maintaining calcium and phosphate mineral levels for bone formation.  Lack of vitamin D contributes to osteoporosis and other bone diseases.  A lack of vitamin D increases muscle weakness which worsens the risk of falls and fractures.

Immune Enhancement

Vitamin D is crucial for our immune defenses.  Scientists from the University of Copenhagen discovered that our “T cells”, the killer cells of the immune system, cannot react and fight infections in the body without sufficient vitamin D.  The T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate.

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risks of many cancers, cardiovascular disease, as well as auto-immune diseases.

Inflammation

Without enough vitamin D, there is more inflammation.  Vitamin D helps to keep inflammatory molecules from activating other inflammatory molecules. In several studies, people given 1000 iu of vitamin D a day had a noticeable relief with their symptoms. 

Vitamin D May Also Help:

·         Muscle weakness

·         Regulate insulin resistance

·         Regulate blood pressure

·         Support mood stability

·         Regulate muscle composition and muscle function

·         Prevent chronic fatigue

·         Lower risk of some bacterial infections

Sources of Vitamin D

The best sources of vitamin D include some fatty fish (pink salmon, sardines), eggs, red meat and liver.  Wild mushrooms (exposed to light) are also an excellent source of vitamin D. 

Ten minutes a day of unprotected sun, 3 times a week, is usually enough to ensure the body maintains adequate vitamin D levels. 

If you are overweight, or feel you have a deficiency of vitamin D, supplementation of 400 iu – 800 iu  (D3)  with meals could be helpful.  But keep in mind, this is not a weight loss cure, and it is essential you eat a healthy diet and exercise to achieve results.

Best regards,

Peter

It is very easy to become addicted to substances in our society.  I am not just talking about street drugs or even medical ones, but common substances in our food like caffeine, sugar, food additives such as MSG, and even salt.  I have even seen people become addicted to diet sodas full of aspartame and other artificial ingredients.  One of my staff recently admitted to me that she had an addiction to coffee from a very popular coffee establishment.  She has to have a coffee from that particular place every day, no other coffee will do.  Whenever she tries to quit that coffee, she becomes quite ill, even when substituting their coffee for another one.   I find that very interesting.  Is there something else in their coffee that is addicting people besides the caffeine?

Then there are the headlines this week about Whitney Houston who most likely died from a drug overdose - another waste of a very talented artist. 

Of course there are spiritual factors involved for someone to become a substance abuser of drugs or alcohol and they need to seek appropriate help for that.  I am writing this mainly to address those of you who have addictions to sugar, caffeine and other food substances. 

Handling a Sugar Addiction

Why is sugar addictive?  The human body needs Vitamin C.  We cannot manufacture it so it means we have to consume it.  How are we supposed to do that?  Ideally, we should be eating fruit.

In the last 50 years we began to create foods to satisfy our sweet tooth using refined sugar instead of eating the fruit provided by nature.   The average American now consumes 2 – 3 lbs of sugar per week!  Eating refined sugar gives us a short-term serotonin (hormone) boost that makes us feel good, less stressed and happy.  Unfortunately, that boost is short-lived and our body craves more and more and more….

Sugar is very toxic in our bodies contributing to obesity, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, digestive disturbances, chronic fatigue, wrinkles, tooth decay, depressed immune system and many other conditions.

Start eating fruit now and take Vitamin C throughout the day.  I recommend a minimum of 2000 – 5000 mg until the cravings subside.  Feel free to take more if you need it.  Vitamin C is water soluble and any surplus that body does not need, it will eliminate.

Stop eating simple carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.  These simple carbs will turn into sugar in your body.  Besides fruit (organic preferred), eat or juice lots of organic vegetables.  The more nutrients you put into your body, the less it will crave unhealthy food.  I recommend taking a good “green” product every day that has ingredients such as spirulina, blue green algae, barley and such.  This can be added to juice or shake and is perfect for people on the go who simply don’t have the time to prepare meals or juice.

Magnesium

One of the most important supplements a person can take for any addiction is the mineral, magnesium.  I cannot stress enough how important this nutrient is for the body.  Magnesium is involved in over 300 processes in the body.  Magnesium is depleted by stress and toxins (whether from food or the environment).  My research and observation over 30 years has shown me that the majority of people are deficient in magnesium.  Like Vitamin C, magnesium is water soluble and will not build up in the body.  Though it has a natural sedative-like effect, it will give the body energy if required.  Magnesium relaxes the muscles, helps to balance hormones, and helps the body assimilate calcium.  

Other Supplements

Taking a good B Complex will also help tremendously in the detoxification process of both drugs and dietary substances.  I would also suggest taking a good digestive enzyme complex to help break down and assimilate the nutrients from food and supplements.

Over 30 years ago I developed a formula called “Drug Withdrawal Vitamins”.  Not only is this formula used in drug withdrawal programs around the world, it has also become very popular with our store customers who have been using it when they quit smoking, stop drinking coffee or eating sugar.

I hope this has been helpful and wish you great success on your road to optimum health.

Best regards,

Peter

Did you know that there was something growing in the soil that cleaned up pollution, industrial waste, pesticides, heavy metals, toxic spills and even biological warfare agents?  Now what if I told you that you could ingest this organism for outstanding immune protection?

This “housekeeper” on planet earth covers almost all landmasses.  Without it, nothing could grow.  One researcher refers to it as the “Earth’s Natural Internet” because it is very intelligent.  I am talking about “mycelia”.  Mycelia are fine filaments of living cells from fungus.  These masses of fine branching tubes reproduce structures like mushrooms and the vegetative part of the fungus. There are about 1 – 2 million species of fungus, including about 150,000 species of mushrooms.  Eight miles of mycelial cells can permeate a cubic inch of soil!

Mycelial networks penetrate the soil world-wide, interspersing with other mycelial colonies.  Not only can they do amazing feats detoxifying chemicals and such from our soils, when natural disasters like storms, floods, volcanos, etc. wreak havoc on the environment, these heroes come to the rescue and capture debris and recycle.  Mycelia can even selectively raise or lower soil pH, or increase the usability of existing soil. 

Without mycelial colonies, we would not have healthy soil.  Nothing would grow. They are truly one of our best friends in nature.

Mycelia for your Body

There are several supplements on the market that contain mycelial mushrooms (I have an excellent product called “All Purpose Busters” that contains organic mycelia).  Mycelia are rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other elements that fight viral infections and strengthen the immune.  Some strains of mycelia can even have a relaxation effect on the body or improve mood.  Others have been successful in lowering cholesterol and moderating blood sugar.

If you are looking to turbo charge your body’s immune system, consider adding a mycelium product to your diet. Not only are they are heroes in our environment, but they can do a great job inside the body too!

Best regards,

Peter

Blood pressure is the measure of the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels.  The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped, and the size and flexibility of the arteries.

Blood pressure irregularities are quite prevalent in the USA and other countries that eat a “western diet”.  I have been giving advice on how to handle this for almost thirty years now.  Chances are that you, or someone you know, have unhealthy blood pressure levels.  Here are my recommendations on how to lower it naturally.

Diet

Minimize animal protein in your diet.  The majority of your diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds (raw are preferable).  Add a few grains if your body does well on them.  Whenever possible, buy organic.  Keep your sodium intake to a minimum.  Sodium causes your body to absorb more water.  Extra water in your arteries means more water pressure.   Eat lots of garlic or take garlic supplements (see below).  Garlic has a vast array of health benefits including helping the body balance blood pressure.

Juice or eat celery every day.  Celery has been long used by Chinese physicians to reduce blood pressure.  It contains a unique oil that relaxes the muscles that regulate blood pressure, improving flow and lowering pressure. 

Supplements

Magnesium is at the top of my list for this health condition.  Magnesium affects over 300 processes in the body including contributing to strong bones, maintaining normal muscle and nerve function, keeping the heart beating regularly, regulating blood sugar levels and supporting a healthy immune system   Generally, I have found people with blood pressure problems to be low in magnesium.  I have witnessed this mineral help regulate blood pressure hundreds, possibly thousands of times.    After all, I am known as the “Magnesium Man” for good reason.   If you are also taking calcium, make sure that your magnesium intake is twice the intake of calcium until this situation stabilizes.

Potassium has many functions in the body including the balancing of fluids.  It is vital for normal heart function and aids in muscle contractions.  Potassium works closely with sodium.  If there is a deficiency of potassium in the body, the sodium affects blood pressure even more. 

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a substance that is found in almost every cell.  It helps convert food into energy.  As a powerful antioxidant, it destroys free radicals that contribute to heart disease.  CoQ10 may reduce or even prevent some of the damage free radicals cause including heart-related conditions.

Garlic’s medicinal properties have been documented for thousands of years.  It can help reduce cholesterol as well as blood pressure.  More than 2000 clinical trials have validated the many medicinal benefits of garlic.  If you are unable to eat a couple of cloves a day, take it in a supplement form.

Hawthorne is an herb that dilates arteries and improves coronary blood flow, reducing the blood pressure.  Some of the flavonoids (plant-based compounds with powerful antioxidant properties) in Hawthorne help prevent the narrowing of blood vessels.  It is also a mild diuretic that reduces blood volume.

There are many other products on the market that are also effective in helping to regulate blood pressure.  Please keep in mind your unhealthy blood pressure levels did not occur overnight.  Depending on your commitment, it can take weeks or months to bring it down to a normal range.  But just know, it can be regulated naturally.

Best regards,

Peter

Lecithin is a fat-like substance known as phospholipid.   It is produced by the liver and can be found in the heart, liver and kidneys.  Lecithin is utilized by every cell in our body.

Lecithin is an emulsifier of fats. (Emulsify means to blend 2 or more substances together that usually don’t mix, like oil and water.)  It is present in bile, a digestive substance produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder to aid in digestion.  It is critical for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins.

Though our bodies do produce lecithin, we also need to consume it through our diet.  Foods rich in lecithin are cabbage, soy beans, chickpeas, split peas, cauliflower, organic meat, seeds, nuts and eggs.  Lecithin contains essential fatty acids (very important nutrients that cannot be produced by the body) that are critical for the proper functioning of the body.   

Heart Disease

Lecithin is crucial for a healthy heart.  It breaks down cholesterol into smaller particles that helps prevent chronic heart diseases. Lecithin helps keep fats in a liquid form,  preventing the fat from clinging to the veins and arteries, clogging the passages.  Adequate intake of lecithin helps remove “bad” cholesterol from the blood.  It is also reported to help prevent the onset of gallstones and improve gallbladder function and health.

Weight Loss and Fat Burning

Lecithin helps burn fat.  When you eat fatty foods, the fat gets deposited into the liver.  Lecithin will then break it down so the body can use it as a source of energy.  If the fats are not broken down, they can accumulate and become rancid, producing free radicals that damage liver cells.  Lecithin in liver cells helps facilitate proper functioning of the liver, particularly in fat metabolism.

Other Benefits of Lecithin

Lecithin has also been known to help other functions of the body including:

·         Memory, learning and reaction time

·         Hair and skin health

·         Cell communication

·         Physical performance and muscle endurance

·         Inflammation of joints

·         Respiratory conditions

·         Immune Boosting

Lecithin Supplements

Lecithin can be purchased in a variety of forms – capsule, granule, powder and liquid.  Most lecithin on the market is derived from soybeans and most soybeans have been genetically modified.   Be very careful to buy only a “NON GMO” product.  Lecithin granules and powder can be added to shakes or sprinkled on food such as salads, yogurt, etc.

Taking additional lecithin to your diet can be of great benefit to you, especially if you have heart health concerns or are carrying excess weight.

Best regards,

Peter

Even if you knew that mushrooms and onions were super foods, did you know they could possibly save your life?  These vegetables are known as “angiogenesis inhibitors”.  Now what the heck is that, you are ask?  Angiogenesis inhibitors restrict the growth of blood vessels.  And why would we want to stop blood vessels from growing?   We are talking about abnormal blood vessels.  When solid cancers (ie. tumors) are small, they are supplied with nutrients by diffusion from nearby blood vessels.  In order to grow larger, they need and create their own blood vessels.

When we eat a lot of sugar and put fat on our body, it pumps up insulin and insulin promotes the growth of blood vessels.  Fat on the body secretes hormones and causes inflammation.  Fat signals blood vessels to grow into it so the area can be fueled and get oxygen and nutrients to keep it surviving.  Because mushrooms and onions contain angiogenesis inhibitors, they help inhibit the blood vessels from growing into the fat.  The fat stops growing and shrinks!

Onions – A Vegetable Worth Crying For! 

The onion is a close relation to garlic.  The healthiest onions are the ones that cause the most tears.  This is because they are releasing organic sulfur.  Onions are loaded with vitamins A, B and C, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, iron, molybdenum, potassium, copper and dietary fiber.

Blood Pressure – Onions help lower blood pressure, thin the blood, dissolve blood clots and clear blood of unhealthy fats.

Cholesterol – One half of a medium onion eaten daily can significantly lower cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks.

Anti-Bacterial – Onions help fight infections including E.coli and salmonella as well as urinary infections.

Anti-Inflammatory – Onions are useful in reducing symptoms of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and gout.

Diabetes – The chromium content in onions helps bring down insulin levels and improve glucose tolerance.

Immune Booster – Onions increase blood circulation and cause sweating.  They are useful in cold weather to ward off infection, reduce fever and sweat out colds and flu.

Cancer Prevention - All onions are rich in organic sulfur compounds shown to help prevent cancer in lab animals.  They are also high in antioxidants which reduce DNA damage.

The Amazing Mushroom

Mushrooms are the only vegetable to contain vitamin D (the only other food source for  vitamin D is cod liver oil).   They are rich in calcium, iron, potassium, copper and selenium.

Cholesterol – The fiber and certain enzymes in mushrooms lower cholesterol.  They are very high in lean protein content which helps burn cholesterol when they are digested.

Immune – Mushrooms contain a powerful antioxidant, ergothioneine, which is effective in giving protection from free radicals as well as boosting up immunity.  They also contain natural antibiotics (similar to penicillin).

Diabetes - Mushrooms have enzymes and contain natural insulin which helps break down sugars and starch in food.

Cancer – Mushrooms are effective in preventing breast and prostate cancers due to the presence of beta-glucans and conjugated linoleic acid which have anti-carcinogenic effects.  Linoleic acid is particularly helpful in suppressing the effects of estrogen, thought to be the prime reason for breast cancer in women after menopause.

Pretty impressive resumes wouldn’t you say?   Now if you will excuse me, I am off to the kitchen for a good cry.

Best regards,

Peter

Improving Your Health in 2012

Are you getting ready to make your New Year’s Resolutions?  I hope a health-oriented goal will be one of them.  I thought to myself, what is the most important piece of data I could give you to help you achieve optimum health and vitality?

Here is a potent piece of information that may encourage you to make better nutrition choices in the future.

In 1930 scientists discovered about 14 vitamins and 16 minerals which they began to add to our processed food supply.  By 1935, vitamins were a multi-million dollar industry.  Unfortunately, adding vitamins to cereals and other processed foods did not result in better health.   Cancers and many other diseases such as diabetes, obesity and auto-immune diseases increased by leaps and bounds over the next seventy years.

Heart attacks and many chronic diseases which westerners suffer from are almost non-existent in areas around the world where populations grow their own food and do not eat processed foods or a lot of animal products.  Why is this?  What makes one type of food more nutritious than another?

Macronutrients and Micronutrients

Food contains various compounds.  In fats, carbohydrates and proteins we find compounds called “macronutrients”.  Fruits and vegetables are loaded with minute quantities of “micronutrients” - vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which are essential for our bodies. 

About 20 years ago scientists first recognized that vitamins and minerals were not the major micronutrients in food but isolated many compounds now known as “phytonutrients”.  Phytonutrients are bioactive chemical compounds such as antioxidants, found in plants.  There are probably thousands of these compounds in existence although the exact number is currently unknown.   Most fruits and vegetables are rich in micronutrients.  For example, a strawberry has about 700 micronutrients in it, and a piece of broccoli, about 1000.   Breads, chicken, eggs, dairy, olive oil and white pasta have 1 or 2 micronutrients.

Large quantities of food with high concentrations of micronutrients are essential for good health. When we eat macronutrients (animal products, processed foods) without a good supply of micronutrients, the body creates free radicals which are toxic and cause inflammation and other non-optimum health situations. The average American diet is low in micronutrients (about 10%) and high in macronutrients.   

Weight Gain and Disease

Macronutrient food is less nutritious.  This results in increased hunger and overeating.  Extra fat gets stored which predisposes us to various diseases.  Micronutrient-rich food makes us feel full and satisfied.   

Micronutrients take away hunger, the desire to overeat and help fat melt off the body!

Increasing your micronutrients will help you live disease-free, have more energy and stay at an optimum weight.

I wish you and your loved ones a very healthy 2012.

Best regards,

Peter

All year round people have sensitivities to products that contain perfumes and man-made chemicals.  The spring, however, seems to be the worst time of year for these types of problems.  Millions of people react to pollen, grasses and newly blooming flowers and often feel miserable for weeks.  Large doses of vitamin C may help with this type of seasonal suffering.

Summer

Vitamin C and Weight Loss 

 Did you know that vitamin C could help you in your fight with middle age spread?

Researchers have found that low levels of vitamin C are directly linked to larger waists, higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and higher blood fat levels.  If you have higher levels of vitamin C in your blood there is a good chance you will burn fat at a faster rate when you exercise.

Vitamin C works with L-carnitine, an amino acid which is important in carrying energy to the heart of each cell in the body.  Vitamin C is vital for the production of L-carnitine.  A lack of vitamin C in the body will deplete energy levels and cause the body to store more fat.

Dieting and cutting back on food intake often depletes even more vitamin C from the body.  Adding vitamin C to your weight loss regime (at least 1000 mg per day) could help you shed more pounds.

Lead Detoxification

Studies have shown vitamin C could reduce blood lead levels in the body.  This is especially important for children living in urban levels,  as lead toxicity can lead to behaviorial and development problems such as learning disabilities and a lowered IQ.  Accumulation of lead in adults can lead to kidney damage as well as high blood pressure.

The Best Form of Vitamin C

For best results, take a vitamin C that is non-acidic.  My favorite form is magnesium ascorbate.  Many vitamin C products come in a complex with bioflavonoids.  Bioflavanoids  enhance the absorption and efficiency of the vitamin C.   I recommend a dosage of at least 1000 mg. a day (more if dealing with health challenges).

Best regards,

Peter