With an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, we get more vitamin C that we need in the summer months. But as autumn sets in and temperatures get cooler, families often get less of the vitamin while simultaneously being exposed to more germs – a recipe for colds and flu.
Vitamin C is well known as the get-well vitamin. Who doesn’t reach for oranges and vitamin C supplements at the first sign of a scratchy throat or a cough? But getting enough vitamin C on a daily basis is vital for your overall health.
The vitamin is a building block of collagen, which is an essential component of skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels, and it also helps develop scar tissue. Essentially, it helps your body grow tissues and repair them when there’s damage.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, a group of nutrients that help prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are responsible for aging and are a contributing factor in the development of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions. Antioxidants also play a key role in protecting the body against toxins, such as cigarette smoke and pollution.
If that weren’t enough, a new study from researchers at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital and its affiliate, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, showed that vitamin C helped improve the emotional state of patients who are receiving acute care (i.e. short-term hospitalization). Previous studies indicated hospital patients suffer from low levels of vitamins C and D, so researchers wanted to see what sort of impact supplementation would have (a group of patients were also given vitamin D; they exhibited no significant changes). The statistically and clinically significant improvement exhibited by patients given vitamin C supplements shows us that vitamin C may very well play a role in our emotional well-being.
The body doesn’t store vitamin C, so you need to get plenty of it each day. It’s pretty difficult to overdose on vitamin C (because it can’t be stored), but you shouldn’t ingest more than 2,000 mg per day because excessive vitamin C consumption can lead to upset stomach and diarrhea. Keep in mind that 2,000 mg is the recommended maximum from all sources, including food, juices, supplements, and fortified foods.
Eating vitamin-C-rich foods is a simple way to load up on the antioxidant, and organic is always healthier since there is no pesticide residue. One orange offers about 116% of the recommended 60 mg for adults, but there are foods that offer even more vitamin C, including strawberries (136%), boiled Brussels sprouts (161%), steamed broccoli (205%), raw red bell peppers (291%), and papayas (313%). Falling a little short of oranges, but still high in vitamin C are cantaloupe, kiwi, boiled cauliflower, and boiled kale.
Juices and fortified foods may seem like a great idea, but they usually aren’t. The best nutrition comes from a food in its natural form, and nutrients begin to degrade as soon as foods are harvested – meaning that you’re getting the best nutrition when you consume local foods. Throw in processing for juices, and there’s a lot that you’re just not getting from juices. As for fortified foods, few processed products contain an adequate amount of nutrients to really make a difference.
Sticking to whole, vitamin-C-rich foods might be more challenging in the winter (especially if you have picky eaters in the house), but a simple supplement can boost your intake when you need it. Whatever you do, just make sure you’re loading up on the vitamin C – your body will thank you.
