Vitamin C
Vitamin C is aptly named as it has been said to protect against almost every
illness from the common cold to cancer. It is one of the most well known
vitamins, which is
not a surprise as it performs over 300 different functions in
the body and does help to fend of heart disease and cancer as well as many other
serious illnesses. Without vitamin C the body would not be able to heal itself,
as it is vital in the production of collagen one of the bodies building blocks.
Even simple cuts and scratches require collagen in order to heal, this collagen
has to be produced by the body for which it requires vitamin C. Collagen has
numerous other jobs in the body, it is firm but more pliable than bone and so it
is used to provide structures that keep the organs in place.
It is also an antioxidant and helps with the absorption of many other vitamins and minerals. Folic acid (one of the B vitamin essential in cell division and growth) and Iron (essential for the haemoglobin in red blood cells and oxygen transport) both require vitamin C to improve their usefulness. The more vitamin C in your body the greater your defense against illness particularly common aliments like colds. Vitamin C is also good for aiding recovery from viruses though doesn’t protect you against them in the first place.
There is vitamin C in all fruit and vegetables but particularly rich sources
are tropical and citrus fruits, particularly cranberries and melons. Hot peppers
are the vegetables with the highest levels of vitamin C; the hotter the pepper
the greater the amount of vitamin C. Vegetables loose their vitamin C over time
so the fresher the better. It is also water-soluble so boiling for a long time
will reduce the vitamin C level of the vegetable considerably. Steaming,
grilling and stir-frying are much better cooking methods for preserving vitamin
C in food. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is easily achievable if
you have five portions of fruit and vegetable a day. Especially if they are
particularly high in vitamin C, eaten very fresh, cooked quickly or eaten raw.
For people who don’t manage this taking vitamin C supplements will ensure you get enough, though with a balanced diet you shouldn’t need to take them. There is no danger of overdosing on vitamin C as the body simply gets rid of what it doesn’t need.