In recent years the National Health and Medical Research Council has put the spotlight on more than 30 vitamins, minerals and nutrients that it considers to be important for health and wellbeing. Naturopath, herbalist and nutritionist from Sydney’s Nature Care College Michelle Avedissian explains all about vitamin C
Why do you need it: It’s an antioxidant, improves immunity, helps woundsheal, encourages iron absorption and is essential for collagen production.
How much: you need 45mg per day.
Where from: All of the following contain 45mg of vitamin C
- 2 mandarins,
- 2/3 cup of strawberries,
- 1 ½ cupsof cherries, or
- 1 ½ cups of tomatoes
Consider a supplement if: you frequently get colds orinfections, are a smoker, or, because the adrenal glands use large amounts ofvitamin C, regularly experience stress.
Need to know facts:
- Vitamin C is heat-sensitive, so you should eatboth raw and cooked vitamin C-rich foods.
- Diarrhoea when you’re on a vitamin C supplementmay mean you’re taking too much.
- “Vitamin C supplements are often best absorbedin powder form,” says Avedissian. “And choose one with bioflavonoids.”