Ensuring we get the right number of vitamins, minerals and nutrients is essential to many aspects of our daily life, physical and mental health. Every few weeks we are going to zoom in and highlight certain vitamins and minerals and explain when and why you should take them including the benefits they can have!
Starting with one most people have heard of vitamin C! Seen as it’s the time of with lots of colds, coughs and sniffles flying about I thought it would be a good place to start, as vitamin C is one of the most important for our immune health and a powerful antioxidant.
Health benefits of Vitamin C:
This is due to its ability to help gain energy from the food we eat helping strengthen our immune system and ensure all cells are functioning well. It can help protect use against cold and flu’s or reduce the time of these.
Absorption of Iron
Along with this the body can absorb Iron more efficiently when vitamin C is present which helps fight fatigue and boost immunity.
Vitamin C helps produce collagen which is vital for helping connective tissue meaning vitamin C is great for helping heal wounds. This can also help improve things such as burns and sunburn.
Improve heart health & reduce blood pressure
Various studies have shown the Vitamin C can reduce heart disease and lower blood pressure. Along with dilating arteries when under stress, increasing blood flow therefor improving the bloods ability to carry oxygen. Vitamin C also causes the kidneys to remove sodium and water from the body, reliving pressure on blood vessel walls. It helps protect the bodies supply of nitric oxide, which also helps relax blood vessels.
Improves gum health
A deficiency in vitamin C can lead to gum disease due to the connective tissue weakening or signs of gums bleeding. Having the right amount of vitamin C ensures your gums, teeth and mouth are kept safe.
Help allergies and infections
Vitamin C is a high antioxidant, it fights harmful free radicals and helps treat viral infections. Look for a vitamin C formula which has bioflavonoids shown to provide allergy relief by inhibiting the cells responsible for releasing histamine.
- Red peppers
- Dark green leafy vegetables
Taking a supplement can be good if you’re lacking or struggling to get enough vitamin C through the food you are eating. Be certain to stick to the recommended daily allowance, as over exceeding could lead to gut issues or diarreha. The RDA for men is 90 mg a day and women are 75mg. You can get a variety of different supplements from capsules, tablets, chewable pills or powders. Come into store to see our range of fresh organic fruit and veg and variety of supplements to get your daily dose!