When we start feeling sick, we all know that Vitamin C is supposed to help our immune system fight off bacterial, viral, and other infections. However, what most people don’t know is that we often sabotage ourselves inadvertently when we’re sick by eating lots of sugary comfort foods. Sugar and Vitamin C actually compete with each other for space inside our cells. Our cells don’t recognize the difference in the chemical makeup between sugar and Vitamin C, so if you already have a lot of one, there’s not any room for the other. This means that if you have a temporary blood sugar boost from eating sweetened cereals or a donut with your OJ and vitamin supplement at breakfast, only small amounts of Vitamin C may actually make it into your cells. Studies show a blood sugar value of 120 mg/dL reduces your germ-killing ability by 75%. So when you are feeling ill, it’s important to not only load up on Vitamin C, but to also cut back on your sugar intake to improve your immune function and decrease your amount of time being sick. Just drink a tall glass of water with that Vitamin C supplement and let the healing begin.
