Jackie: vitamins

I have lately been reading the journals of people fasting on only water. They go totally hungry for up to 40 days, ingesting only water. Very interesting stuff, the phases they go thru in the process, each eventually discovering that they mainly seek food for emotional purposes, largely meaning social connections. Just about every culture eats as part of celebrations. Who has the 4th of July without food? Who has Chinese New Year without food? Nah, we gotta pig out at these things, and social events feel weird without food. Food seems to make us relax. Anyway, I digress. None of the journals I read involved any great discomfort UNTIL the fasters neglected to drink adequate water, and then all hell would break loose. That is very important to remember.

Scurvy. Well, there's this bit of info:

Does cooking destroy vitamin C?

Vitamin C is the most easily destroyed vitamin there is. It is destroyed by oxygen, heat (above 70 degrees) and it leaks out into the cooking water because it is a water soluble vitamin.

To preserve vitamin C in food, store citrus fruits, tomatoes, juices, broccoli, green peppers, cantaloupe and strawberries in the refrigerator uncut until you need them. Prepare dishes with these foods right before serving. Also, cut these foods in larger pieces to prevent the air from destroying vitamin C. Cook these foods in as little water and as short a time as possible. Steaming and stir-frying are two methods that help conserve vitamin C content.

As long as the skin is uncut, the vitamin C is protected from air. If you store a cut fruit or vegetable or an open pitcher of juice, cover it tightly with plastic and put it in the refrigerator.

Vitamin C dissolves in cooking water so serve the food with the cooking water if possible.

This would seem to indicate that unless we barely, barely soak the cabbage in water, we won't be getting much Vitamin C from cabbage. I think I will just try putting a little lemon juice in my drinking water instead. Not enough Vitamin C to fight oxydation, so I guess I'll get wrinkly at an accelerated rate this month. On the other hand, another very important thing is in cabbage...potassium. Now that is incentive to eat cabbage "soup" (read: smelly limp green stuff in hot water).

I am not going to worry too too much about vitamins until Dr. Chan writes me and tells me otherwise. I had my bloodwork done today and I emailed her to tell her about this project. I think I may wish to continue taking my usual Vitamin D, though. And my three prescriptions. They don't have much nutritional value anyhow.