Bioflavonoids, often referred to as vitamin P, include citrin, hesperidin and rutin and make up the vitamin C complex. Bioflavonoids are an essential part of the daily diet as they strengthen capillaries, prevent oxidation of vitamin C, are powerful antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory effects and help to regulate sleep patterns.
Instructions
1. Eat more foods rich in bioflavonoids if you begin to notice symptoms of deficiency such as blue spots on the skin, susceptibility to respiratory infections, hemorrhoids, spider veins, bleeding gums, eczema, psoriasis or arteriosclerosis.
2. Get your bioflavonoids from food sources instead of in a supplement form, as they are found in complex combinations in foods. When these combinations are separated and isolated, they do not have the same biological effects. As long as you include plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet, you should be eating enough bioflavonoids.
3. Find plenty of bioflavonoids in fresh, raw fruits, particularly citrus fruits. Additionally, rose hips, grapes, apricots, strawberries, black currants, cherries and prunes all contain high sources of bioflavonoids, and are delicious as well. Slipping a bit more fruit into your diet is easy. Try adding berries to your morning cereals or choosing fruit for that after dinner sweet instead of heavy dessert.
4. Make sure that your diet includes lots of raw vegetables as well, to ensure a wide variety of bioflavonoids. Particularly helpful veggies include green peppers, onions, garlic, cabbage and cayenne pepper. Keep a number of chopped veggies in the fridge at all time for healthy snacking.
5. Enjoy your foods raw in order to ensure that your body receives all of the bioflavonoids it needs. Bioflavonoids are extremely delicate and cooking destroys them, so dried fruits, cooked or canned fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies or bottled fruit and vegetable juices are not proper sources.
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