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Vitamin C is one of the most amazing nutrients found in food on our planet. It not only literally keeps our bodies alive but allows us to thrive and give our cells protection and regeneration. Without adequate Vitamin C, you would actually die.
The way that Vitamin C works in the body is mainly as a cofactor, assisting the cells in things like connective tissue regeneration and repair, fat metabolism, and neurotransmitter production. It also functions as an antioxidant, which helps to clear out damaging free radicals which occur as a part of a cell’s existence, whether that is from exposure to toxins or just from regular metabolic activity.
Benefits of Vitamin C may include:
— Connective tissue functionality including skin, bones, joints and ligaments
— Assists with absorption of other compounds like iron
— Neutralizes damaging free radicals
— Supports a strong immune system
— Reverses harmful effects of oxidative stress
— Promotes eye health in the collagen tissues
— Supports nervous system function
— Supports the adrenal glands and hormonal balance
— Assists in the body’s creation of Vitamin E and glutathione, two other extremely important antioxidants
— Higher levels of Vitamin C are associated with higher levels of cognitive function
If the body does not have enough Vitamin C, this may result in:
— Collagen not working properly
— Enzymes in the body not working properly
— Bleeding and bruising easily
— Poor skin and hair health
— Anemic symptoms
— Constipation
In an ideal and somewhat romantic world, we would get as much Vitamin C as we need from the foods we eat. Indeed, if you are eating a lot of raw foods, especially fruit, you are intaking the foods with the highest amount of naturally occurring Vitamin C.
Sadly, the foods that are grown commercially by Big Agri for the most part are very lacking in nutrients. Over the last 100 or so years, the expedient commercial practices of not reinvesting back into the soil have allowed the foods to be grown without absorbing all of the minerals and compounds that would otherwise be found in nature. Also, produce is harvested early before the food takes in more nutrients from the soil as it fully ripens. The result is that food has shown declining levels of many kinds of nutrients, including Vitamin C. This has been documented in studies showing a dramatic decline of 30% over just a 22 year span of time (from 1975 to 1997) as the soil became more and more barren of nutrients. If that’s the case in just 22 short years, how much has it dropped in a century? It is difficult to quantify exactly, but one can imagine.
The other factor to consider is excessive oxidative stress, which can beg for additional antioxidant support that would come from a substance like Vitamin C. Thinking back to our ancestral scene, not only would we be consuming foods with robust levels of Vitamin C, but our lives would be fairly simple and straightforward. We would have to contend with life-threatening issues and adrenaline-producing situations, no doubt, but the tension of life would be a simpler one than it is today and our lifestyles in many ways would have been actually healthier than they are in the modern world.
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