Vitamin C - One of Your Immune Systems Best Friend
The flu season has garnered more attention this year than previous years with Covid19 around, so boosting our immunity has been on the minds of many people I’ve talked to lately. While there are many things we can do to boost our immunity, I’m going to focus on vitamin C for this article. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant found in fruits and veggies. Your body can’t make its own vitamin C, so it's important that you're getting a steady supply from your diet.
What does Vitamin C do for you?
Research has shown that Vitamin C helps the immune system by stimulating the production and function of white blood cells. White blood cells are the body's little warriors. They flow through your bloodstream to fight viruses, bacteria, and toxins that might compromise your health.
Vitamin C also supports the formation and maintenance of collagen. This supports the health of the skin, joints, ligaments, cartilage, bone, and blood vessels.
Vitamin C also supports our adrenal function and the release of stress hormones. During times of stress when our adrenals are working overtime we require more vitamin C to keep up with the demand and stave off adrenal fatigue.
Getting adequate amounts of vitamin C is essential for our overall health!
Do you have enough Vitamin C in your body?
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. So why should you care about that? Well it basically means that it's in and out of your body in about 4 hours. So your body needs a consistent supply of vitamin C throughout the day to function optimally. In addition to that, the way we prepare the food that we eat will have an impact on the vitamin C you're getting. The highest amount of vitamin C is found in uncooked fresh fruits and veggies. That said, there are some vegetables that when steamed, sauteed or roasted are easier for the digestive system to break down and absorb. These veggies include kale, chard, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
How can you get more vitamin C in your diet?
Squeeze some lemon in your water - not only is it a refreshing way to get hydrated, you are getting the added benefit of including more vitamin C.
Include some fruit in your morning breakfast routine - fruit is best eaten in the morning before anything else as it is easier for our systems to digest and absorb the nutrients.
Include veggies for snacks and pair with a protein like hummus or nut butters. The presence of Vitamin C is essential in the absorption of iron from plant based foods.
Smoothies that include leafy greens, avocados, celery and cucumbers are a great way to up your vitamin C intake and get multiple servings of veggies in your diet.
Include salads and veggies with lunch and dinner - add spinach or other hardy greens to sauces, stews and soups right at the end of cooking. It's amazing how the leaves wilt to almost nothing and is an easy way to add vitamin C in your diet.
Supplementing with vitamin C
There are many reasons to supplement with vitamin C. Despite our good intention of eating vitamin C rich foods throughout the day, it doesn’t always happen. So supplementing is a good idea to ensure you’re getting enough. However, if you’ve been to a natural food store to buy some vitamin C, you’ll see that there are many types and brands. So which one to choose? I look for two things, the addition of cofactors that enhance absorption like quercetin and resveratrol, or if it's liposomal. In liposomal vitamin C, the vitamin is protected in a casing and has a better chance of making it through the digestive tract and being absorbed by the body. For those with sensitive stomachs, a buffered form of Vitamin C, like ester-C, may be the best way to go. Lastly, consider added ingredients and what I’m really getting at here are added sugars. They are just not necessary and there are good options out there without added sugars.
Okay, there is one last thing to consider when looking at supplementation. Vitamin C can interact with a number of drugs. For example, vitamin C interacts negatively with the blood thinning drug Warfarin as well as a number of amphetamines. If you are taking prescription medication check with your doctor or health practitioner about possible negative interactions. In these cases sticking to food rather than supplementation is the best option.
Any questions about vitamin C? Send me an e-mail, I’m always happy to explore questions on nutrition!