Vitamin C 

Examples of vitamin C rich foods are mango, kiwi, raspberry, papaya, cranberries, blueberry, watermelon, green and red peppers, dark green leafy vegetables including broccoli, kale, mustard cress, Brussels sprouts, sweet and white potatoes, tomatoes and tomato juice, orange and grapefruit including their juices, pineapple, and pineapple juice. You can get plenty of vitamin C by eating your five a day. This will also ensure that you are maximising your nutritional intake. 

We usually get our vitamin C from fruit and vegetables, fortified foods which includes breakfast cereals or supplements this is because an animal only diet would not hold enough vitamin C. 

Animal products that do have higher amounts of vitamin C include raw liver, eggs and fish roe. Other animal products such as fish and raw meat does not hold a lot of vitamin C. vitamin C which is also known as ascorbic acid is needed to keep our white blood cells which fight diseases active. Vitamin C antioxidants enable it to protect our lung cells which get exposed to oxidants and oxidant-mediated damage which is caused by pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals.

Vitamin Calso helps form red blood cells, biosynthesis of collagen, the protein that makes the skin, joints, and bones stronger. A lack of vitamin C can have a negative effect on our body and cause problems such as bleeding gums, scurvy, aches and pains, easy bruising, nose bleeds and frequent colds and infections.

Getting your RDA of vitamin C however can stop these negative effects and actually help fight infections and reduce the duration of colds and other viral infections, it aids in the absorption of iron, the proper functioning of the immune system as well as wound healing.

As an antioxidant it also helps protect the eyes from free radicals which could the eyes. Like some other vitamins, vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so we need to make sure we get the vitamin C which we need daily from our diet. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means it is dissolved in water and is transported to our body tissues.

If you are taking a vitamin C supplements as well as getting your RDA of vitamin C in your diet although too much is unlikely to cause harm mega doses may cause diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, heartburn, insomnia, and headaches. For adults it recommended we get 65 to 90 milligrams a day and an upper limit of 2,000. However, by eating a healthy balance diet will supply adequate amounts of vitamin C.

Niacin which is a B vitamin is made by our body it increases your HDL, helps turn food into energy, helps keep our digestion, skin, and nervous system healthy may be reduced if vitamin C is taken alongside vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. Copious amounts of vitamin C can also decrease the effectiveness of warfarin which is a medicine that helps the blood clot slower. Vitamin C helps with the body absorb iron and folic acid effectively.

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By Aaron Christopher Slade

A.C.S Nutritional Therapist and weight loss specialist.
A registered nutritional therapist.