VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY

Going along with our exploration of vitamin and mineral deficiencies common in the US, we are ready to explore vitamin C. Some hail vitamin C as one of the most important vitamins to keep our body healthy. There is a lot of hype about vitamin C, we know it helps us fight colds but what else does this vitamin do for us?

We don’t naturally make vitamin C and need to get it from our diet. Vitamin C is considered water soluble, which is thought as easy to secrete through urine if we have too much of it in our body. Vitamin C is important in making collagen which is crucial in making many and repairing many types of body tissue. [1] It also helps maintain bones and teeth. [1]  Vitamin C is also a known antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even helps to detoxify the body. [2] That is a pretty amazing list of qualities!

Antioxidants are vital for maintaining health because they neutralize free radicals. Basically, free radicals are dangerous because they have an unpaired electron. This causes them roam the body, stealing electrons from healthy cells, turning the healthy tissue unstable and results in a cascade of damage to healthy cells. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C give an electron to the free radicals before they cause damage to your bodies tissue. Sun, smoking, smog, charbroiling, cellular metabolism, and many other sources cause free radicals to enter the body. Because of this neutralizing affect of vitamin C to free radicals, the science community is exploring if vitamin C therapy could help prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration.

If that is not enough reasons to be sure we are getting enough vitamin C add this to the list: vitamin C is also known to help the body absorb iron. To find out why iron is important check out this blog.

Vitamin C can be found in the following foods. Raw is always better than cooked or processed.

Vitamin C sources:

• citrus fruit
• green peppers
• watermelon
• papaya
• grapefruit
• cantaloupe
• berries
• kiwi
• mango
• broccoli
• tomatoes
• Brussels sprouts
• cauliflower
• cabbage
• apples
• asparagus
• melon
• kale
• peppers
• pineapple