Make sure that you pay attention to the labels on your foods. They will often tell you how much vitamin C you are getting. The best way to get vitamin C is to each a balanced diet. Vitamin C is sometimes also called ascorbic acid. If you are worried that you are not getting enough vitamin C naturally in your food, you should take a daily vitamin C supplement to help you maintain the correct levels of vitamin C in your body.Vitamin C is one of the most popular talked about vitamin. The best foods to eat that produce Vitamin C are:
- green peppers
- citrus fruits
- strawberries
- green vegetables
- fish
- potatoes
- broccoli
- milk
- tomatoes
What does vitamin C do? Basically , vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means that it battles the forces in our body that can cause organ, tissue, and cell damage. Therefore, vitamin C protects the body and may specifically be linked to reducing the signs of aging. If you do not have enough vitamin C in your body, you will develop scurvy. Scurvy is very uncommon in the United States, but can cause anemia, gum disease, skin hemorrhages, and weakness.
When you begin taking vitamin C supplements, make sure that you follow your doctor’s recommendations. If you take to much vitamin C, you can overdose, just as you would with a typical drug. This is rare, because vitamin C is water soluble and high amounts will leave the body at a normal rate, but when it does happen, it can cause kidney stones and interfere with vitamin B12 absorption, causing anemia. Diarrhea is also a side effect. Therefore, it is best to listen to you doctor’s recommendation.
In most cases, you will automatically get enough vitamin C in your foods, especially if you are eating a healthy diet. If you are not and your doctor tells you to begin taking vitamin C supplements, look carefully at the labels of different brands before you buy anything. Because vitamin supplements are classified as foods and not drugs, they are not regulated by the government and each brand’s potency will vary slightly from the next.