Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble nutrient that is vital to all creatures. Foods that are especially rich in vitamin C are parsley, broccoli, bell peppers, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens and Brussels sprouts. Here are seven reasons to include vitamin C in your daily meals:

Immunity
Not only is vitamin C a well-known component of your immune system, it is also necessary for collagen, the main structural protein found in connective tissue. A healthy dose of vitamin C will protect your body from infection and maintain healthy bones and teeth, as well as quicken the body’s ability to repair wounds.

Common Cold
Along with its immune functions that fight against bacteria, viruses, and infection, vitamin C also serves as an affective antihistamine that will lessen the unpleasant effects of the common cold, including inflammation, stuffy nose and aches.

Antioxidant
Vitamin C is a powerful and effective antioxidant that protects our bodies from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Vitamin C also helps to regenerate your supplies of vitamin E (another useful antioxidant).

Hypertension
Vitamin C has been shown to lower blood pressure, and therefore lessen the probability of hypertension, as well as the serious health problems that follow, such as cardiovascular disease.

Blood Vessels
Along with lowering your blood pressure, vitamin C ensures proper dilation of blood vessels, which can prevents such diseases as atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure, and angina pectoris (a inadequate supply of blood to the heart that causes severe chest pains).

Lead Toxicity
Vitamin C dramatically lowers your blood lead level. This is especially important for children living in urban areas, as studies have shown that lead toxicity can lead to behavioral and developmental problems, such as learning disabilities and lowered IQ. Adults, moreover, may suffer from kidney damage and high blood pressure.

Cataracts
The lens of the human eye requires vitamin C to function properly, and a deficiency can lead to cataracts (a condition in which the lens becomes increasingly opaque, causing blurry vision). A higher intake of vitamin C has been shown to fight cataracts by increasing the amount of blood flow to the eye.

You can get your Vitamin C in a pill form but I think it is better to eat your vitamins rather than swallow them!

-Jessica Brown