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| Vitamin C |
| Vitamin C is known to assist wound healing. The
vitamin is required for the formation of the intercellular supporting
tissue known as connective tissue. It improves the availability
of iron in certain foods; it is required for normal growth and
development in children. |
| The majority of Vitamin C is derived from fruit,
vegetables and citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. Vegetables
of the cabbage family are the richest sources among the everyday
foods we eat. Tomatoes, watercress and peppers are also good
sources of vitamin C. |
|
| Deficiency effects |
| Deficiency causes small blood capillaries to
rupture causing small haemorrhages beneath the skin. The teeth
may become loose and the gums may bleed. Bones and teeth become
weaker, wound healing is delayed and the patient usually becomes
anaemic. |
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| Excessive intakes |
| Any dietary intake of vitamin C in excess of
requirement is excreted by the kidneys in the urine. However,
massive dosages of vitamin C appear to interact with vitamin
B12 and have an antagonistic effect. |
|
| Stability of Vitamin C |
| Vitamin C is extremely unstable. It is destroyed
in moderate cooking temperatures, by exposure to air, by addition
of baking soda or other alkaline ingredients. It is readily
leached out of foods during washing and cooking. This explains
why vegetables, such as cabbage and potatoes, should be cooked
by plunging them into boiling water in order to conserve as
much as possible of their vitamin C content. To conserve the
maximum amount of vitamin C, vegetables should be washed quickly
and never left to soak. |
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- VITAMIN D |
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