Vitamin C: Why It's Important for Our Health
Vitamin C is often the go-to vitamin when we feel the signs of a common cold looming. It helps to support our immune systems, which is useful for when we are not feeling our best.
But the incredible benefits of this powerful vitamin are not limited to its immune supporting properties. Vitamin C helps us stay healthy in a number of ways, including: reducing tiredness and fatigue, increasing iron absorption and aiding normal metabolism.
Vitamin C also plays an important role in the formation and function of our body. As vitamin C is not stored in our bodies, it is important we get our required intake through the foods we eat.
Eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables is the key to making sure you get enough vitamin, every day.
Foods That Contain Vitamin C
The key to making sure you get enough vitamin C is to combine a mix of fruits and vegetables that are vitamin C-rich. Some foods will contain naturally higher levels of vitamin C than others, so it is best to have diversity in the types of foods you eat.
Fresh fruits, such as citrus fruits, are good sources of vitamin C to include as part of a well-balanced diet. Vegetables that are rich in vitamin C include: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, peppers and peas.
The good thing about choosing nutrient-rich frozen vegetables, such as frozen green peas, is that you can store and use them at your convenience. As our green peas are frozen a few hours after being picked, their nutrients - including vitamin C - are locked in. Keep a bag of frozen green peas at hand, to give your meals a vitamin C boost, whenever you want.
How Vitamin C Contributes to Our Health?
Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble micronutrient which supports many bodily functions that help us stay healthy.
- Immune System
Our immune-systems are important for fighting off infections, so it is essential we take good care of it. Vitamin C helps contribute to a healthy immune system and helps to keep our bodies free from disease and unwelcome germs.
- Tiredness and Fatigue
Tiredness and fatigue are symptoms many people face in their everyday lives, and are especially symptomatic of vitamin C deficiency. By making sure you are consuming enough vitamin C daily, you can help keep tiredness and fatigue at bay.
Not only is vitamin C important for collagen formation, it also helps maintain normal metabolism, which contributes to a healthy functioning body. Having a normal metabolism is instrumental to the processing of food and extraction of energy, to support our daily activities.
One of the many functions vitamin C performs is its role in the formation of collagen. Collagen is a type of protein that is needed for many parts of our bodies including our skin, bones and teeth, and cartilage.
- Iron Absorption
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, also plays a role in helping our bodies absorb the mineral called iron. Vitamin C-rich foods must be consumed at the same time as iron-containing foods, to boost absorption levels.
It is important to get our required vitamin C intake on a daily basis, because this vitamin contributes to a number of crucial functions in our bodies.