Did you know that one of the most important vitamins required to keep your body well this winter can be found in some very common foods? There is much talk of the power of superfoods and the value they add in your diet and, while they do pack a powerful punch, so do some of the old favourites. Vitamin C could in fact, be one of the biggest immune boosters of all.
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can’t produce it. Yet, it has many roles and has been linked to impressive health benefits. It is water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables, including mangos, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and blueberries!
When your body has sufficient Vitamin C available to it, you are literally protecting your body at a cellular level from infection. Did you know that a cell saturated in sufficient Vitamin C can unlikely be penetrated by a viral infection? Vitamin C is important to the body for three main processes:
- Hormone Production;
- Collagen Synthesis;
- Immune Support;
This makes Vitamin C an important part of our daily diets. And because it is readily available in a wide variety of foods we need not rely solely on supplementation. It is also important to remember that it is easier for your body to defend an illness when it has sufficient Vitamin C in its arsenal at the time of infection (which may be well before you would feel any symptoms). Don’t wait for the onset of a cough or fever to start adding this important nutrient into your diet.
