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The average healthy adult has about 1.2 to 2.0 grams of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) body wide and can maintain this with a daily intake of 75 mg from fruits, vegetables, and tablets. It has a half-life in the body of 10 to 20 days [1]. That is, if you could measure it each 10–20 days, its level at any one measurement would be 1/2 of what it was at your previous measurement.Let’s suppose for the sake of discussion that a person has 2 g of ascorbic acid on board and its half-life is 14 days. This person abruptly ceases all ascorbic acid intake (via diet and supplements). In 2 weeks, his level would be down to 1 g; in 4 weeks, 0.5 g; in 6 weeks, 0.25 g; etc. At some point, of course, the level will be too low to have any beneficial effect, and the effects of vitamin C deficiency could begin to gradually set in. I don’t know what level that is or at what level the remaining amount may be undetectable.ReferenceK.A. Naidu. 2003. Vitamin C in human health and disease is still a mystery ? An overview. Nutrition Journal 2:7.Additional informationQuestions about Vitamin C

Thinking about becoming a vegetarian, and giving up meat and fish? Besides your health, another reason to give up being an omnivore is that your mood could improve.Research published by Nutrition Journal found that people who regularly eat meat or chicken daily reported better moods and less stress after only 2 weeks on a strict vegetarian diet. One reason seems to be that meat contains a long-chain omega-6 (n-6) fatty acid (arachidonic acid) that is associated with depressive symptoms.The study also took another group of meat eaters and switched them to fish, which contain long-chain n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Despite the reputation of these fats to improve mood, this group was not as happy and the freshly minted vegetarians.

Slim-Fast shakes are vitamin- and mineral-fortified drinks intended to help you lose weight and keep it off. Each drink is relatively low in calories and the Slim-Fast company suggests drinking two shakes per day as meal replacements in conjunction with other nutritious food. You may be able to accelerate weight loss if you only drink shakes, but it’s not a healthy or balanced plan to follow.AdvantagesTo lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than you burn. Drinking low-calorie shakes as meal replacements is one easy way to knock down your daily calorie total, so you may lose weight quickly if you adopt that strategy. In fact, in one 2003 study led by Dr. Steven Heymsfield and published in the “Nutrition Journal,” overweight and obese subjects who had one or two meal replacements each day lost more weight over a 40-week trial period than participants who followed a more typical low-calorie diet.Balanced DietLimiting your diet to just one type of food carries some serious risks. Although Slim-Fast drinks are enriched and fortified with a variety of vitamins and minerals, they’re not an adequate substitute for a balanced, complete diet. Dietary supplements can't replicate all of the nutrients and benefits of whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, according to MayoClinic.com. Slim-Fast shakes may be able to meet some of your nutritional needs, but they don’t contain the same beneficial micronutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that natural, whole foods do. Thus, having only shakes for an extended length of time could cause nutrient deficiencies or other health issues.Weight Loss PacingIt’s also possible that drinking just Slim-Fast shakes could cause you to lose weight very rapidly, which can be dangerous and unsustainable. “A slow and steady approach is easier to maintain and beats out fast weight loss for the long term,” says Donald Hensrud, preventive medicine specialist for MayoClinic.com.Nutrition FactsAccording to Slim-Fast.com, a single serving shake in the flavor of cappuccino delight has 190 calories, 6 g fat, 210 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 10 g protein and 18 g sugar. The shake is fortified with at least 35 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin A, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin C, phosphorus and several other nutrients.ConsiderationsBefore you make any significant adjustments to your current diet plan or attempt to use Slim-Fast shakes as weight loss aids, get your doctor’s approval. A safer plan involves increasing your daily physical activity and following a low-calorie, balanced diet, as the National Institutes of Health recommends for gradual and reliable weight loss.