Natural vitamin C is essential to keeping your immune system healthy. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is especially important to get the essential nutrients your body needs. A study was conducted by Oregon State University that shows how vitamins can help the immune system fight COVID-19 — including vitamin C! You may be wondering what exactly vitamin C is, how it keeps you healthy, and what foods have natural vitamin C in them, so here is a guide all about natural vitamin C to answer your questions:
What Is Natural Vitamin C?
The scientific definition for vitamin C, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, is “an essential water-soluble micronutrient in humans and is obtained through the diet.” Natural vitamin C is derived primarily from fruits and vegetables. Getting your natural vitamin C by eating the necessary foods is essential to staying healthy and protecting your immune system. However, some people may have a harder time absorbing vitamin C into their systems, therefore, taking supplements with vitamin C in them would be beneficial for those low in the nutrient.
What Foods Are Rich In Vitamin C?
Eating our fruits and vegetables is especially important when continuing to grow into adulthood. The human body is not able to make vitamin C on it’s own, so the consumption of foods with this vitamin is very important. Foods that have the highest amount of vitamin C are oranges, watermelon, strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach and leafy greens, and tomatoes.
What Are the Benefits Of Vitamin C?
We’ve all heard someone tell us to take vitamin C when we start to feel sick, and that is because vitamin C is an important vitamin that helps strengthen the immune system to be able to fight off illnesses. In addition to strengthening the immune system, vitamin C can help improve health in many different ways. Here are a few benefits of natural vitamin C:
It can help with stress! A study was conducted by Mark A. Moyad, MD, MPH of University of Michigan, which found that vitamin C is beneficial to individuals whose immune system was weakened due to stress.
It can lower your high blood pressure, leading to a decrease in a chance for heart attacks. There have been many studies conducted that show how taking vitamin C supplements and eating foods that are rich in nutrients can lower your high blood pressure and your risk of a heart attack.
It helps protect brain functions such as memory as you age. According to Healthline, vitamin C may be linked to protecting your memory as you age from dementia, which affects over 35 million people worldwide and typically occurs among older adults.
What Is the Best Form Of Vitamin C?
Depending on your body and what your diet consists of, you may need to take vitamin C supplements due to your body not being able to produce its own vitamin C. Here are some examples of supplements that provide you body with plenty of vitamin C:
Emergen-C: Emergen-C is a vitamin C powder that you can put into your water. You can drink it during or before you feel sick and it can make you decrease the duration of your sickness.
AirBorne: Airborne is similar to Emergen-C in which it is dropped into your water. When you drink it, it can help you to feel better if you are sick.
Thorne’s Vitamin C With Flavonoids: This product is a supplement that is taken as a normal pill by mouth. It is made without gluten or other major allergens.
Nature’s Bounty Vitamin C: Nature’s Bounty is one of the most popular vitamin brands. The supplement comes in pill form and works to support immune health.
Nutri Advanced states that it is important to note that whilst vitamin C supplements and food-derived vitamin C are chemically identical, the vitamin C in fruits and vegetables is packaged up with various additional nutrients. It is important to note that in addition to adding vitamin C into your diet, other nutrients and vitamins should not be ignored.
What Is the Recommended Daily Amount?
Although it is unlikely, too much vitamin C can be harmful to your health, causing unwanted symptoms such as nausea and headaches. The daily recommended amount of vitamin C for adults is 65 to 95 milligrams (mg) a day. The upper limit is 2000 mg daily. Be sure you’re taking caution to not exceed these amounts. You don’t want any unwanted symptoms by just trying to stay healthy!
Natural Vitamin C — The Healthy Way To Be!
If you are not getting the essential nutrients that your body leads, it could lead to many health problems that can easily be avoided. Vitamin C can boost your immune system, help with stress, and can help you to live a happy and healthy life!