Vitamin C: Its Benefits and Sources

Vitamin C is easily obtainable and absolutely necessary for good health. Because the human body can not produce or store Vitamin C it is essential to your health to know where you can find this vitamin. Because Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin (meaning it is easily dissolved in water) any amount you ingest above what your body requires for optimum health is easily secreted through the urinary tract. This also means that It is almost impossible to take too much of this vitamin as any extra is simply dispelled.

However, if you take too large a dose you may not like how your body decides to rid itself the excess Vitamin C. In cases of very high levels of extra Vitamin C (especially when taken through supplementation) you can develop a very bad case of diarrhea accompanied with bloating and severe intestinal cramps. There is nothing wrong with taking supplements but fresh food sources offer more nutrition, are a lot tastier, and are virtually impossible to overdose on!

Fresh Sources of Vitamin C

There are many tasty whole food sources of Vitamin C including: Strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, red and green peppers, oranges, lemons, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, cantaloupe, cabbage, and tomato. It is important to note that Vitamin C is a very delicate vitamin. It is easily spoiled by heat and direct light. To reap the most health benefits from whole food sources of Vitamin C make sure you store your foods very carefully away from heat and direct sunlight.

Recommended Amounts

The USDA recommends anywhere from 40 to 120 mg of Vitamin C per person per day depending on age and health situations. Many people feel that this amount is far too small. I have known of people who feel it is important to their health to ingest up to 2000 mg a day through supplementation. Again, since it is a water soluble vitamin the worst thing that will happen is bloating, gas, and diarrhea. You will also waste the money you spent on the supplements that were simply passed through your system with no benefit to your health.

Benefits

Maintaining a proper amount of Vitamin C in your diet will improve your health in many areas. Vitamin C is used to form collagen, which is a key structural component of your bones, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels. It is a powerful antioxidant and is vital for the formation and maintenance of connective tissue, amino acid metabolism and protection from chemicals. Vitamin C also heals wounds and helps maintain blood vessel structure.

Adding more sources of whole foods that contain Vitamin C will not only increase your intake of the essential vitamin but improve your overall health with the other vitamins and fiber found in the foods. Those are things you can not get though supplements which makes them the inferior choice when looking to improve your health by attempting to take a sufficient dose of Vitamin C!