Vitamin C and your health

Our food today is very much processed in nature, coming in all sorts of packets, cans and bottles and containing all kinds of preservatives. Most are unhealthy to say the least. Such food has lost most of the nutrients including the much needed vitamins.

Here I will talk about the importance of vitamin C. The thing that prompted me to write about this was out of a conversation I had with a customer who was at my gym yesterday.

I regard vitamin C or ascorbic acid as the most essential of all the vitamins. Vitamin C is an organic nutrient and act as a catalyst in our body. A catalyst is a substance that allows a chemical reaction to occur using less time and less energy than it would take under normal conditions. Enough vitamin C in the body can:

1. Help protect cells from free radical change
2. Lower the risks of cancer
3. Regenerate vitamin E supplies
4. Improve iron absorption

Some of the conditions that indicate your lack of vitamin C are frequent colds and infection, poor wound healing, tiredness/fatigue after light activity.

The best sources of natural vitamin C are from fruits and vegetables. Of course, cooking and heating will deplete the vitamin C in food. It is also sensitive to air and water. So, the wisest choice is still fresh fruits. And do take note that papaya has a very high content of vitamin C. The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C is around 100 milligrams per day but this is the minimal so as to avoid scurvy. Owing to our 21st century living, a more sensible intake would be around 500 milligrams per day.

(Note: Vitamins are either Fat soluble or Water soluble. Whilst fat soluble vitamins i.e. A,D, E and K are associated to toxicity if taken in large amount, Vitamin C is water soluble and not toxic.).