Episode 36: Carb Control with Vitamins?

Water-Soluble Vitamin Scientific Article

Welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast, where we help moms thrive in health and faith.

Hey, mamas, welcome back to the Beauty of Better Podcast.

It's Kelsey here.

Today, we're gonna be talking about water-soluble vitamins, and we're gonna be looking at a study on how water-soluble vitamins affect starch digestion.

So, kind of an interesting topic, but I wanted to start off and just define what water-soluble means.

And basically, if something is water-soluble, it means it's gonna dissolve in water.

So, if you consume it, your body utilizes what it needs, and then if there is extra, it dissolves into water, and you just pee it out.

So, that sounds really great.

You might be thinking, oh, awesome, I can just take a ton of those, and not ever have to worry about overdosing on that at all.

And this study in particular is gonna look at vitamins B and C, which are water-soluble vitamins, but while we do wanna make sure we're getting adequate amounts of it, you actually can still overdose on it.

So, because it's water-soluble, though, something to note about these vitamins is that it is important to consume them multiple times a day, because you're taking it, your body's peeing out what it doesn't need, and then it's important to just make sure that you're taking it again.

So we wanna just make sure that we'd be taking it like two to three times a day.

But Danielle is actually gonna give us like a quick bird's-eye view of the article, so you guys can kind of understand what it was talking about, and then we'll go into some more information about vitamins B and C, like, you know, where you can find it in food and the importance of taking it.

So, Danielle, you wanna take it?

Yes.

So this article, it was released in 2019 in the Journal of Food Chemistry, which is fascinating to me.

I feel like Kathleen, you probably love it.

And as Kelsey mentioned, it is looking at water-soluble vitamins for controlling starch digestion.

And that's what it's called.

This article, I will warn you, is a little more scientific.

We're not gonna go deep with the terminology, so I'm just gonna give you an overview of what it means and how it relates to us, because it is important.

And so they are looking literally at the chemistry of digestion, the chemistry of vitamin C and seven vitamin Bs.

There's different vitamin Bs that we eat, and they all have different forms.

They have different benefits.

They have different deficiencies that come if you're, or illnesses that come from deficiency, which we'll get into.

But for the purpose of this article, what they were looking at is, can vitamin C and vitamin B help control the way your body processes start?

And they found that it did.

And what they found is that basically when you're, when you have adequate amounts of vitamin B and vitamin C in your body, that it slows the absorption of starches.

Starches are your sugars and your carbs.

And so when that process isn't slowed or regulated, it means that when you eat a starch or you eat a sugar, it spikes your blood sugar, right?

And so this study was particularly interested in this because of people with diabetes.

So even though we might not be diabetic, this is important to know because we always want to be trying to stabilize our blood sugar.

We don't want really high peaks and really low loads throughout the day.

We want to try to maintain a stable blood sugar.

And so this article shows us that taking vitamin B and vitamin C helps regulate that process in our body.

And so what I would love is sometimes it's hard to picture and process.

And I know Kathleen has like a really great analogy.

I know our team loves analogies, and we think and teach and process and analogies.

But Kathleen, I'd love you to explain that analogy you were sharing earlier because I think it's so helpful to understand what does that actually look like in our body.

Yes.

Yeah.

Well, so when it comes to breaking down starches, we have an enzyme in our body, and we'll just shorten it by calling it HPA.

But this enzyme, if you think of like a assembly line worker, so HPA is like doing its job, and its job is to when we consume carbohydrates, it breaks that down into smaller pieces that can be then which is like the sugars that are being released into our blood.

So the assembly line worker is working at usually a steady rate, but in conditions like diabetes, that's a bit becomes dysregulated.

So then what this study is looking at is vitamin C is like the quality control inspector that comes in and says, okay, are we working too fast on this assembly line?

Are we going too slow?

And it comes in and the quality control inspector can change the rate at which these starches, the glucose, the sugar is being released into our bloodstream.

So it actually, it binds to a different site on the enzyme.

But essentially what it does is it comes in and says, okay, we're working too fast here, too much sugar is being pumped into our blood system, and we need to slow things down.

And so that combined effect then means that when you add vitamin C into your diet, that can help slow the release of blood sugar into, or it can balance and stabilize our blood sugar levels by controlling how much of that starch is released from our food and the rate at which it's released.

So, yeah, I think that's such a great analogy.

And I love being able to visualize that.

Like, it's not a bad thing to have starches in your body.

It's not a bad thing to have sugar.

That's how we get some of our energy.

But it's at what pace.

And then amazing, because a lot of times, we just talk about eating carbs, right?

Like eat less carbs, eat more carbs, eat healthy carbs.

Like we talk about the carbs, but we don't talk about the vitamins that help process the carbs.

And so understanding that vitamin C and vitamin Bs really help in that process and really help regulate our body when it comes to our blood sugar and stabilizing that throughout the day, whether or not we have diabetes.

I didn't know somebody wanted to jump in and just talk about other benefits from vitamin Cs and vitamin Bs.

I can also share a little bit about deficiencies.

That's kind of the scarier side, I think.

But important to note.

I can talk about some of the benefits.

Go for it.

So, when we're thinking about B vitamins, I always think of these guys as like the little energy helpers in your body.

And I think as moms, we're all like, I would love some energy helpers.

Like we're watching our kids run around and just wondering how they have so much energy.

But yeah, I mean, so vitamin B can be useful for improving energy.

It can improve brain function.

It can improve the function of your nervous system.

It can promote healthy skin, hair, and nails.

It can be because it is associated with improving energy.

That might make you feel less fatigued, more resilient to handling stress, if you will.

It's also really important during pregnancy because it's related to the developing fetus and health of the brain and spinal cord.

So kind of just like little spark plugs, making sure that your body's got enough energy in there.

Vitamin C, I think most people would think, oh, if I'm sick, I take vitamin C.

And it is a super powerful antioxidant.

It can keep your cells from getting damaged, which is really powerful.

It's going to support your immune system.

It actually, fun fact, vitamin C can improve your absorption of iron.

So from like plant-based food, so if you're taking iron, you should really take vitamin C with it, because it will help improve that.

And yeah, it's kind of just like helping your body's tissues stay strong while all this wear and tear might be happening, your body's able to kind of stay strong because you've got enough vitamin C.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Collagen synthesis is like another one, right?

So promoting healing and that's another thing that maybe we just don't think about, like, oh, vitamin C, I'm not sick, I don't need to worry about that.

And that's the top thing that people think about.

Skin health, too, is linked to that because collagen, again, tied to that one as well.

So these little micronutrients are such important players.

We think, oh, they don't have calories.

Like, how important can these really be?

But like, they're the behind the scenes.

Like, you know, like, to put on a show or a play, you always have to have that backstage staff that's, like, making everything happen, you know?

And that's really what these vitamins are.

So, and also, like, tied to blood pressure and circulation and certain types of cancers.

Like, I mean, we could probably keep the same for a bit, but yeah, they do a lot of things, and they're those background players that don't get a lot of credit, because we're just thinking, oh, our main foods.

I'm like, no, we need these.

And they work in concert with one another.

And I think we're going to kind of continue talking a little bit about how, like, you need to link arms.

Like, when you have a team, like, you have to have multiple players on that team.

It's not just like a one, you know, one man show.

Like, we have to have all these pieces, and they have to be in certain amounts and playing together.

And it can feel overwhelming, but that's what we're going to break it down for you guys a little bit.

There's also a lot of B vitamins.

It's not just like one vitamin B.

There's like B1, B2, B3, B5.

Like, there's a lot of vitamins that fall under that category of B vitamins.

So I just want to clarify that as well.

Yeah.

And oftentimes, it is more recommended to have the B vitamins as a whole, rather than unless you've been prescribed by your doctor to have it in isolation.

Once again, I think, just speaking to the balance of, when we look at a balanced diet, sometimes we have these extreme fad diets that will cut out certain food groups that really limits your intake of certain vitamins, like diets perhaps that cut out fruits and vegetables.

It's like you're significantly cutting out a big source of vitamin C.

So then seeing the effects then of that on carbohydrate breakdown in the body, and so it's really important that we kind of keep a balanced perspective.

And it's not that you have to eat perfectly all the time, but it is just being mindful of the rainbow of foods that God gave them to us for purposes, that they work in the synergistic effect, where they all work together in our bodies to bring about a benefit, like God made it that way.

And so we don't need to fear certain things, because maybe culture has told us that.

It's like, let's look at the science of it.

And so this is another example of a way that these vitamins work together with our bodies to bring about health.

But I also think in Southern California, I have this theory, so I don't have science around it yet.

Maybe there's some research around there, but I feel like the foods that grow in the area around you, the ones that thrive, kind of naturally are what we should consume to help us thrive.

So, in sunny Southern California, I moved here from Northern Ireland, where it rained nearly every day.

And here, I was like, oh, I can actually sing that song, this sun will come out tomorrow.

Yes, it does.

But here in Southern California, we do need a lot of vitamin C, because we're exposed to the sun a lot.

That's going to help in restoration of our skin and just different aspects of our bodies.

But we have oranges that grow all around us.

We have lemons that grow around us.

Look at what grows around you and drives really well.

And I feel like that's God's little subtle hints of like, hey, maybe you need more of this where you live for your overall health.

So that's something maybe I need to research more into, but I like it.

That's fascinating.

I think that there are health benefits to eating what's around you and what's in season too.

Yes.

Not trying to produce something that should be in another season, but that could be another podcast.

I think I just wanted to reiterate what Kelsey said earlier, of just how you need vitamin C and vitamin B, is your water-soluble vitamins, multiple times a day.

Because I think it's easy to find one-a-day vitamins, where you take it once in the morning and you have that rush.

Your body can't even absorb all of the vitamin B and vitamin C in it, and you literally just pee it out.

So your body only takes what it can absorb in that moment, and pees the rest out, so then you don't have it all day long.

I always laugh when people, hopefully you guys don't do this, I always laugh when people go out and they buy the vitamin C packets, like when they're feeling sick, and it's got like a thousand milligrams of vitamin C, and it's like you drink this drink, and you think you're not going to get sick, and it's like, you're really not absorbing that much, like it doesn't matter how much you take it once, like your body can only absorb so much, and you're just peeing the rest out, so you're paying to pee out more vitamins instead of like, go eat an orange.

But that being said, it's really important to take your water-soluble vitamins two to three times a day, whether that's in a vitamin form or like in the form of fruit.

And we're going to talk about what foods you can find these vitamins in.

But I did want to speak to deficiencies because yeah, I think it's important to understand what does a vitamin deficiency look like, especially in a world where we're eating so many processed foods, so many foods that don't have adequate vitamins, and we have so many chronic illnesses in our country.

So I just wanted to touch on this because I feel passionate about it.

So some deficiencies that can show up in your body from not having adequate amounts of vitamin C and all the vitamin Bs include swollen bleeding gums, bruising easily, poor wound healing, hair and skin problems, joint and bone pain, skin disorders, hair loss, rashes, depression, confusion, weakened immune system, anemia.

And if you think of these, it's kind of the opposite of what Christiana said, right?

Like where she said, vitamin C is a helper with collagen, and collagen is responsible for your skin.

So obviously, if you don't have vitamin C, and you have a deficiency of that, then you're going to see skin problems and rash problems, right?

And she also mentioned, or I can't remember, was it Christiana or Kelsey that said that it's linked to iron absorption, vitamin C, right?

So iron is how your body gets oxygen, and that is linked to anemia.

If you're depriving yourself of that, and you have a deficiency, anemia comes from having a low blood count, a low red blood count, which has to do with your iron.

So again, it's kind of like the opposite side of what Christiana was mentioning earlier, of all these deficiencies that can happen.

And I just want to also have a caveat and just say, like, if you're experiencing any of these things, it doesn't mean, like, don't diagnose yourself with a vitamin deficiency.

We're not diagnosing here, we're just giving information.

And so if you are having these things, and you are seeing a physician, I would ask, and I would like, I can't remember the last time I saw a physician write a prescription to get blood drawn to look at vitamin levels when somebody came in with one of these problems.

So I think it's a conversation as moms that we need to start having with our primary care providers around, like, before you just look at my skin condition and prescribe a lotion or a medication, can we look at vitamins, and what do my vitamin levels look like?

And just make sure that you're not dealing with a vitamin deficiency when you're being diagnosed with some other skin condition, or any of the other things that we talked about.

And so, again, it's not for diagnosing, it's for opening conversations to really look at yourself from a holistic lens and look at what are you eating?

What are your supplements?

What are your vitamins?

Like, is your body functioning?

And I love that analogy of the play, right?

Where it's like, you have all these behind the scenes workers working together.

And do you have enough of a team there?

Or are you lacking some?

And that's why you're seeing some of these symptoms.

Yes.

So I think those are just important conversations to have, to just be aware of as we're talking about water-soluble vitamins and getting them throughout the day.

Yeah.

And real quick, just also, yeah, the space is for just empowering you in your decisions, especially when it comes to your diet.

I think of something that is kind of popular in culture in the last while is plant-based diets.

Realizing that a lot of B vitamins come from the main sources are from animal sources.

That's often where we get a lot of our B vitamins.

And so if you're choosing for various reasons to have a plant-based diet, realizing that you're going to have to work a little bit harder.

Like, Cristiana, you had referenced in the past when we talked about proteins and stuff, and like building blocks.

Like you got to work a little bit harder to find those building blocks when you are on a plant-based diet.

So the same is with B vitamins.

It's really important that, let's say, you or one of your teens, I know my sister, when she was in high school, she's like, I'm going to be vegan.

And so it's important to say, okay, I'll empower your decision, but let's go talk to the doctor about that, about how we can make sure we're covering our bases so that we're not, it's like making a cake.

You don't want to get to the end of a cake and you're like, oh, I forgot this ingredient, so now it totally didn't turn out.

And so you want to make sure you have all your ingredients in there based on the lifestyle choice that you're wanting to make.

So we're wanting to empower you to know that all of these are essential things that we need in our bodies to function properly, but how we go about getting those.

Yeah, Mila, what are we going to share some ideas around like how we try to get these vitamins incorporated?

I think, as we mentioned earlier, some of the easiest ones at least for vitamin C are those citrus fruits.

Those are just so packed.

But again, you can't just like eat an orange in the morning and expect that that's going to sustain you all day with your vitamin C.

So I don't know if you guys want to speak to...

I can add some to that.

Bell peppers, for some reason, my kids like the mini version over the large, particularly my son.

So like particularly red and yellow bell peppers are high in vitamin C.

Kiwis and strawberries also have high vitamin C.

Broccoli and Brussels sprouts also are vitamin C.

But then when it comes to...

But yeah, so I think our family probably likes the vitamin B things, like those are probably more easy to get in.

Found a new recipe for broccoli that now all everyone agrees that they like.

We had-

Oh, I need that.

Maybe we should post that.

Please share that.

Yeah, I'll just say, lemon and parmesan cheese can turn broccoli into something that's edible to people who had previously turned their nose up.

So, who would have known?

That's actually, yeah, a family member who gave us that recipe.

So apparently, it's amazing.

When it's made by a grandma, it's amazing.

Grandparents can change it.

Yes.

And then, vitamin B, do you want me to list some of those as well, or do you guys want to speak in more vitamin C?

Go for it.

Okay.

So, whole grains.

So, we have different talks on carbohydrates and what that looks like, but read your food label.

We should be buying things with whole grains.

It's going to have vitamin B in it.

Legumes is really the beans, so incorporate those, so that works for vegan-friendly friends.

Oranges and bananas also have that vitamin B as well.

And then, as Kathleen mentioned, meat, eggs, dairy, those are going to have some vitamin B.

But those are just the ones off the top of my head.

I'm sure you guys probably could expand on the list and what your family favorites are, or any recipes to enhance them, if they're maybe not currently favorites.

No, those are good.

I would also just mention, just public health background, you know, a lot of our cereals and breads, we see that they're fortified with vitamins, specifically vitamin Bs.

And the reason for that was actually a public health initiative, because so many women were having pregnancy complications.

Again, we spoke to anemia, there's birth defects that can happen from vitamin deficiencies.

And so by adding those vitamins to those common, common foods, they were able to reduce a lot of those illnesses that were impacting pregnant moms and their new babies.

So that's why we see a lot of those in cereals that we eat, in our breads that we eat, because it was a prevention effort.

So those are good sources.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I love that.

Yeah, no, I just, you know, we make spinach banana pancakes, and yeah, well, and I often put oats in those as well, and eggs.

So that's like a go to go to everyone.

Yeah, that's like lots of vitamin B.

Goats that recipe.

But yeah, we kind of throw all those things in there.

And then, yeah, you know, we had shared in the last episode about healthy fats.

So, you know, fish in there.

Also avocados are a good source of B vitamins as well for plant-based options and healthy fats.

I know my kids love that.

And yeah, and then milk.

Our foster son loves milk.

So, I'm like, okay, baby, let's go.

So, he has that at every meal.

So, yeah, so that's some things we use.

That's so great.

Well, mamas, we hope that you got some gold nuggets today, and really we're able to understand water-soluble vitamins, what they do for us, why we need them, really how they help work behind the scenes.

And in future episodes, we're going to actually start talking about fat-soluble vitamins and other nutrients that our bodies need, and pulling in the science, and then pulling in the real life to it.

So we just hope that you're blessed, and that you're able to take one small step to find the beauty in becoming better.

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