Vitamin C is one of the most essential vitamins which our body needs. It plays many roles and has many impressive health benefits, it helps in controlling infections and healing wounds and is an extremely powerful antioxidant. Many people consume vitamin C from tablets daily which is unlikely to be harmful, but megadose of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea. Rather than getting vitamin C from the tablets, you can get it naturally by the intake of food that is rich in vitamin C.
Natural sources of Vitamin-C -:
- Citrus fruits ( oranges, lemons, grapefruits) -: They are rich in vitamins and plant compounds. These fruits strengthen the immune system and keep the skin smooth. In fact, an orange is a fruit that can give you the vitamin C you need in a day.
- Broccoli -: Broccoli is highly rich in vitamin C. It has as much vitamin C as an orange.
- Red cabbage -: It is also known as purple cabbage. It is high in vitamin C And low in calories. It is also a source of fiber and other vitamins.
- Kiwi -: Kiwi contains a high amount of vitamin C, which can fulfill the daily requirement of vitamin C. Adding kiwi to a marginal diet can largely improve plasma vitamin C levels.
- Kiwi -: Kiwi contains a high amount of vitamin C, which can fulfill the daily requirement of vitamin C. Adding kiwi to a marginal diet can largely improve plasma vitamin C levels.
5. Papaya -: Papaya is rich in Vitamin- C, 150 Gram of Papaya contains around 90 mg of Vitamin- C.
Benefits of vitamin C -:
- May reduce your risk of chronic disease -: Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that helps the body to fight chronic diseases. Study shows that consuming more vitamin C can uplift the blood antioxidant levels up to 30%, which help the body’s natural defenses fight inflammation.
- May help manages high blood pressure -: High blood pressure is one of the most dangerous problems which can put you at risk of heart disease. A study shows that vitamin C can help in relaxing the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart, which helps in the reduction of blood pressure levels.
- May lower your risk of heart disease -: Vitamin C helps in the reduction of risk factors related to heart diseases. If a person consumes at least 700mg of vitamin daily, then they have a 25% lower risk of heart disease as compared to those who did not take vitamin C.
- Helps prevent iron deficiency -: Vitamin C supplements are also known for the absorption of iron from the diet. Vitamin C is useful for people who don’t eat meat, as meat is a major source of iron.
- Boost immunity -: Vitamin C supplements help in boosting immunity, as vitamin C is involved in many parts of the immune system. Vitamin C helps in the upliftment of the white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which protect the body from various infections.
Causes of too much consumption of vitamin C -:
1) Digestive Distress – It is the most common side effect of high consumption of vitamin C.
2) Kidney Stones – Excessive intake of vitamin C supplements may lead to kidney stones.
3) Iron Overload – Vitamin C may cause iron overload as it can bind to non-heme iron, which is found in plant foods. The non-heme iron is not absorbed by our body as heme iron. Vitamin C binds with non-heme iron and makes it much easier to absorb by the body.
As we all know that excess of anything is bad so we would suggest you all to limit the intake of vitamins & minerals and always choose a balanced diet.