ON 02-JUN-2020

Why does our body need Vitamin C

Our body needs vitamins and minerals to stay healthy, active, and disease-free. Each vitamin has a different role to play in our body. Vitamin C is one of the important vitamins that people need to take daily. Also, known as ascorbic acid, it has several health benefits. It helps your body fight free radicals and prevent cell damage. It also plays a role in keeping the body tissues and immune system healthy. We all are aware of the significance of iron in our body. It is vitamin C that helps the body in absorbing iron from the plant food sources. But our body does not produce Vitamin C on its own, we need to get it through food and supplement.

The vitamin C benefits for skin and hair are incredible. People who want to have glowing and spotless skin as well as lustrous, healthy hair, vitamin C can work wonders. It can be found easily in fresh fruits and vegetables as well as green leafy vegetables. For your daily dose of vitamin C, you must have oranges, lemon, kiwi fruit, lime, strawberries, bell pepper, green chilli, broccoli, kale, and spinach, etc.

How much Vitamin C is needed for various individuals?

As per some studies, it is recommended to take a daily dose of 500mg vitamin C for achieving all health benefits which are considered safe for consumption.

Vitamin C is considered safe to be consumed in any amount from foods. Since it is a water-soluble nutrient, vitamin C doesn’t get stored in the body. It means that an excess amount of vitamin C is excreted, and overdose is not a concern. However, it is important not to exceed the upper limit of 2000mg/ day for avoiding stomach upset/Diarrhoea.

Major food source for vitamin C

Our body can’t make Vitamin C, and therefore we must get it from foods we eat every day. Let’s have a look at top foods that are high in Vitamin C.

  • Vegetables

Vegetables are a good source of Vitamin C. You can get the vitamin from red and green chilli pepper, parsley, thyme, dark green leafy vegetables, Brussels, sprouts, cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, potatoes, green chillies, beat greens, mustard greens, collard greens, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc.

  • Fruits

Fruits that are a good source of vitamin C are guava, blackberries, strawberries, oranges, sweet lime, lemon, papaya, kiwi fruit, mango, grapefruit, pineapple, raspberries, etc.

Loss of Vitamin C during cooking

Vitamin C is a sensitive nutrient to heat, light, and air. Thus, it gets easily destroyed during food preparation, cooking, or even storage. Boiling is a common cooking method which can cause the water-soluble vitamin C to leach out the food. In simple words, when you pour down the water in the drain, the water contains more vitamin C than spinach or broccoli that you eat.

Boiling reduces vitamin C more than any other cooking methods. Green vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, spinach, and bell pepper may lose up to 50% or more vitamin C when boiled. According to some researches, it has been observed that stir-frying can reduce the amount of vitamin C in broccoli and red cabbage. On the other hand, steaming broccoli, spinach, and lettuce reduced vitamin C content by 9 to 15% only. With Microwaving, 20 to 30% of the vitamin C in green vegetables is lost, which is lesser than other cooking methods.

Essential tips for retaining Vitamin C in food

  • Choose fresh fruits and vegetables which can be eaten in the raw form so that vitamins are not lost through cooking. You can have salads, juices, smoothies, and shakes.
  • Use different cooking methods such as pan-frying, roasting, and searing that don’t include water. The food may lose some vitamin due to exposure to heat, but it will be comparatively lesser than cooking methods that use water.
  • For retention of nutrients in food, it is suggested to cook food items as fast as possible with lesser heat and water.
  • Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for preserving nutrients such as vitamin B, and C. Scientists have found that steaming green vegetables reduces vitamin C content by 9 to 15% only.
  • Try to eat cooked vegetables within a day as their vitamin C content will decline when exposed to air.
  • Avoid using baking soda when cooking vegetables as vitamin C is lost in the alkaline environment created by baking soda.

Vitamin C supplements

Vitamin C found in natural vegetables and fruits, but some people might not be able to get the required servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Over and above that, water, air, and heat contribute to the destruction of vitamin C from cooked food. Thus, one can’t rely only on the nutrition from food items.

If you are concerned about getting an adequate amount of Vitamin C, you must consider taking Vitamin C supplements. The sugar-free RA vitamin C+ supplements by Solskin can help in offering your daily dose of nutrition. They are not only good for your health but also good vitamin C tablets for skin.

Beauty is considered to be an external aspect, but, in reality, it begins from within. If you are well from inside, it will automatically reflect on outside. Thus, taking vitamins is a good way of making sure that your skin and hair look beautiful. If your body lacks the essential nutrients, no amount of expensive shampoos or creams can work for you. Thus, focus on your internal well-being first, and you will reap great results.

If you are looking for the best vitamin C capsules for skin brightening, connect with us as we can help in achieving the best version of yourself and shine brighter. We have curated essential ingredients and come up with a line of beauty supplements for taking care of your beauty needs. Make supplements an essential part of your daily routine.