As your parent, you’re likely conversant in the importance of supporting your child’s health and well-being with a good sort of essential vitamins and minerals. Perhaps one of the better-known vitamins, Natural vitamin C is widely considered a key nutrient in supporting your little one’s system health.
Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic, is a water-soluble vitamin that is present in various colorful fruits and vegetables and is also available in the form of a dietary supplement. Vitamin C cannot be synthesized in the body. Hence, it must be consumed either as food or as a dietary supplement. It is not stored within the body for long and wishes to be replenished on a daily basis, failing which your child can have a vitamin C deficiency.
Here are a couple of important things to notice about its role and the way to effectively include it in the everyday diet of your little ones –
1) Consume vitamin C a day - vitamin C is water-soluble. It is not stored like fat, protein, other minerals, etc. for later use by the body. It’s processed and flushed out daily, so we need to consume Vitamin C every day.
2) Vitamin C is destroyed by Heat - Almost 30-50% of the vitamin C is destroyed if you cook vegetables for over 15mins. So try to not overcook veggies that are rich in vitamin C, a perfect would be to saute, steam, or blanch for five mins then add them to your gravy. It is also best if you can eat them raw. Do you now remember your mom saying, squeeze the lemon in the daal after it's cooled down and not while it's cooking.
3) Consume it fresh - vitamin C is extremely unstable and quickly oxidizes so consume these vitamin C foods as fresh as possible to urge the utmost benefits.
Vitamin c plays important role in a child’s overall healthy development. Here are some important reasons why vitamin C must be an important part of your child’s diet –
1. Antioxidant effects: Vitamin C protects the cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are often produced within the body thanks to normal bodily processes or thanks to exposure to smoke, ultraviolet radiation, or maybe pollution.
2. Immunity Booster: It can help in strengthening the immune system. It is known to keep off colds and coughs, and fight infections.
3. Building & Healing: Vitamin C is required for the formation of collagen, muscles, and cartilage, so it can promote the healing of wounds and help keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy.
4. Iron Absorption: Vitamin C is necessary for the absorption of iron in the body, which makes it super-essential for your little one.
One of the simplest ways to spot fruits/vegetables that are rich in vitamin C is to see how dark and bright in color they're. The bright and dark-colored ones are always the richest source of vitamin C.