Give your immune system a boost this winter with Vitamin C!
With winter here, it’s always a good idea to give our immune system just that extra boost, because every little bit helps.
Let’s have a look at some of the health benefits of vitamin C, and which foods it is rich in.
Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that helps protect cells from free radicals that cause cellular damage in the body. It supports a healthy immune system and is needed for the growth and development of body tissues and wound healing. Although vitamin C can’t prevent you from catching a cold, it may help towards a faster recovery.
Vitamin C also helps our body to absorb iron, so it’s a good idea to combine foods that are rich in both vitamin C and iron. Tip: drink some orange juice when taking an iron tablet.
It’s good for our skin too because it stimulates the production of collagen. Vitamin C also helps neutralize the free radicals that damage skin cells and cause oxidative stress to the skin, which can lead to premature skin aging.
It’s not just citrus fruits though that contain vitamin C. There are lots of other fruits and vegetables that are also rich in this vitamin!
Fruits that are rich in vitamin C include:
Oranges, clementines, grapefruits, kiwis, strawberries, pineapples, mangoes, and lemons and limes.
Vegetables that are rich in vitamin C include:
Kale, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red, yellow, orange and green peppers.
You can also take a vitamin C supplement as well to boost your immune system.
Do a quick check list of what you typically eat, to see if you’re getting an adequate amount of vitamin C.
Tumia vitamini C kuimarisha mfumo wako wa kinga wakati wa majira ya baridi kali! Pamoja na majira ya baridi hapa, ni daima wazo nzuri ya kutoa mfumo wetu wa kinga tu kwamba kuongeza, kwa sababu kila kidogo husaidia. Hebu tuchunguze baadhi ya faida za afya za vitamini C, na ni vyakula gani vilivyo na vitamini C. Vitamini C ni antioxidant muhimu ambayo husaidia kulinda seli kutoka kwa free radicals ambayo husababisha uharibifu wa seli katika mwili. Inasaidia mfumo wa kinga na inahitajika kwa ukuaji na maendeleo ya tishu za mwili na uponyaji wa jeraha. Ingawa vitamini C haiwezi kukuzuia kuugua homa, inaweza kukusaidia kupona haraka. Vitamini C pia husaidia mwili wetu kunyonya chuma, kwa hiyo ni wazo zuri kuchanganya vyakula ambavyo vina vitamini C na chuma. Ushauri: kunywa maji ya machungwa unapotumia kibao cha chuma. Ni nzuri kwa ngozi yetu pia kwa sababu huchochea uzalishaji wa collagen. Vitamini C pia husaidia kuondoa free radicals ambayo kuharibu seli za ngozi na kusababisha oxidative stress kwa ngozi, ambayo inaweza kusababisha kuzeeka mapema ngozi. Hata hivyo, si matunda ya machungwa tu yaliyo na vitamini C. Kuna matunda na mboga nyingine nyingi ambazo pia zina vitamini hiyo! Matunda yenye vitamini C ni pamoja na: machungwa, clementines, grapefruits, kiwis, strawberries, pineapples, mango, na limao na limao. Mazao yenye vitamini C ni pamoja na: Kale, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kabichi, viazi tamu, nyanya, nyanya nyekundu, manjano, machungwa na kijani. Unaweza pia kuchukua vitamini C ili kuimarisha mfumo wako wa kinga. Fanya orodha ya haraka ya kile unachokula kwa kawaida, ili uone kama unapata kiasi cha kutosha cha vitamini C.