Vitamin C is a highly powerful antioxidant and a water-soluble vitamin. It is also known as ascorbic acid and it protects one from all kinds of free radicals and plays an important role in the aging process. Since humans don’t have the ability to synthesize Vitamin C internally, we depend on natural foods and supplements to meet our requirements.
A good amount of Vitamin C is present in different fruits and vegetable sources, especially citrus fruits like oranges, strawberries, kiwis and leafy greens like cabbage, cauliflower etc. Potatoes, red peppers, brussel sprouts also have a good amount of Vitamin C. However, make sure to cook your food briefly at low temperatures to not lose the Vitamin C content.
Benefits Of Vitamin C:
No.1 – Boosts Immunity
A deficiency of Vitamin C can make the body prone to all kinds of diseases or illnesses. So, it’s important to make sure to eat your citrus fruits and leafy greens every day. Therefore, having your daily dose of vitamin C every day plays the role of strengthening your immune system.
No.2 – Helps With The Healing Process
Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen which is a protein present in the connective tissue of your skin, muscles and tendons. Therefore consuming Vitamin C regularly helps in the process of wound healing.
No.3 – Helps Battle Asthma
Vitamin C is essentially an antioxidant and antihistamine that enables improved lung function. Considering this, those who have chronic asthma can greatly benefit from regularly consuming Vitamin C as certain studies suggest that 1000 – 2000mg of Vitamin C can effectively reduce the production of histamines which is a major cause of inflammation in asthma patients.
No.4 – Could Reduce The Risk Of Strokes
Vitamin C expels the free radicals which damages the walls of arteries which therefore decreases the risk of strokes. Also, consumption of Vitamin C can lower cholesterol which thereby improves blood flow.
No.5 – Beneficial For Skin
Clinical trials have shown that good amounts of Vitamin C prevents the sagging of skin, reduces wrinkles and protects the skin from UV rays as well and improves the elasticity of the skin. Therefore, it is widely used in various face packs, creams and moisturizers.
No.6 – Prevents Scurvy
Vitamin C deficiency is one of the biggest reasons for scurvy. Scurvy is a disease characterized by swollen bleeding gums and opening of previously healed wounds.
Making sure you consume at least 10g of Vitamin C on a daily basis can help prevent getting scurvy.
Foods Rich In Vitamin C
Since we now know some of the benefits of Vitamin C here are some foods rich in it, so we can make sure we add some of these in our diets everyday.
Guavas: Guavas contain a large amount of antioxidants. One guava provides 126 mg of Vitamin C.
Kiwi: A kiwi contains 71 mg of this vitamin. On consuming kiwi one can reduce oxidative stress and lower cholesterol levels.
Brussel Sprouts: Brussel sprouts are a good source of potassium, fiber, Vitamin A, K. They’re also one of the best sources of Vitamin C. Half a cup of cooked Brussel sprouts has 49 mg of the nutrient in it.
Lemon: One of the best sources of Vitamin C is lemon. Including a whole lemon in your diet contributes to 92% of one’s daily vitamin C requirement.
Papayas: They account for almost 97% of one’s daily vitamin C requirements. The fruit is also great for digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties.
The deficiency of vitamin C in one’s body is quite rare and takes months to develop. The symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency include fatigue, muscle and joint pains, poor immunity, swelling of gums and severe cases of Vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy.
Keeping this in mind, it’s extremely important to have enough Vitamin C on a daily basis. Get in your Vitamin C guys!
