Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin essential for numerous functions in the body. It plays` a large role in the immune system, protecting against free radicals and oxidation in the body, repair and maintain an array of tissues in the body.

The body cannot store Vitamin C and an excess is expelled through urine so stores need to be constantly replenished.

Good sources of Vitamin C can be found in numerous foods but are most prominent in fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, kiwi fruit and many more. Generally, if you stick to a diet that consists of a variety of fruits and vegetables, you can’t really go wrong.

Vitamin C is found in high concentration in gastric juices, so has a large role in digestion and it is well known that for optimal health, your digestive system needs to be in good form.

An insufficient vitamin C intake will indefinitely lead to a number of health complications in one way or another. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by heat, so any foods with high vitamin C should be minimally heat processed as it will destroy close to all of it. In store bought food such as orange juice, because of the processing, vitamin C is often destroyed, then added back in just before it is packaged to make up for the losses, but nothing is as good as the naturally present vitamins found in whole unprocessed fruit and vegetables.