Vitamin C is one of the better-known nutrients, often supplemented, and talked about from childhood to senior years.
CPW’s clinical nutritionist, Sarah Beecroft, gives us the lowdown and her top tips to keep healthy.
It is one of the few vitamins that we are actively encouraged to eat from a young age and you’ve likely heard of diseases associated with a lack of vitamin C – remember learning about when vitamin C was linked to scurvy in 1747? A sailor was 200 times more likely to die from this vitamin-related disease than enemy action but unfortunately, it took another half-century for medical establishments to understand the importance of fruit, such as oranges, for sailors’ diets and protection from this disease.
Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is crucial for body function, and humans are one of only two mammals who don’t make their own vitamin C (the other is a guinea pig). This means that we must rely on vitamin C from food sources. Let’s dive straight in and look at where we might find vitamin C.
All fresh fruit and vegetables especially:
- Cherries
- Citrus fruits – lemons, limes, oranges
- Pineapples
- Bell peppers
- Sweet potatoes
- Dark leafy greens – kale, spinach, cavolo nero
- Herbs – parsley
Vitamin C has many functions in the body including supporting connective tissue synthesis (healthy joints), antioxidant properties (healthy cells and skin), helps us to combat stress and promote the absorption of other minerals such as iron. Perhaps, however, its most recognised and important function is its role in our immune system. We often liken vitamin C to fuel in a car. You can have a very expensive, beautiful and MOT’d car but without fuel, it just can’t go anywhere. Many cells of our immune system work in this same way needing their fuel: vitamin C.
Our immune system is what we need to resist and fight infection, whether bacterial or viral, so it’s no surprise that vitamin C has come under the spotlight in the last year during the global pandemic. While there isn’t enough evidence to support the general use of vitamin C against Covid-19 infection in clinical settings, there is preliminary research to support its use against the infection.
So, let’s think about how we might include more vitamin C in our diet.
My tips:
- Include berries with your breakfast e.g. porridge topped with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.
- Snack on fruit – an apple and an orange as a mid-morning snack would top your vitamin C levels up.
- Add salad to sandwiches – include rocket, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes in your sandwich at lunchtime.
- Always ensure you have three vegetables with your dinner for example sweet potato, broccoli and kale.
- If you really struggle to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet then juice! Make a juice every day with the 60:40 rule: 60% vegetables and 40% fruit.
Can I take a vitamin C supplement?
Yes, absolutely. But always seek professional advice before supplementing to make sure you are taking the RIGHT supplement and the RIGHT dose.