We all know that vitamins and minerals are important to us. Having enough of them provides our bodies with the fuel to function optimally. But, it helps me to know some details about how these powerful components work individually. I thought this may be of interest to you too.

So, I decided to focus on Vitamin C. It’s one that talked about often especially during this time of the year – fall and winter. It has several benefits. I’ve highlighted five along with some tasty sources.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an antioxidant. An antioxidant eliminates oxidizing agents that can form free radicals from the body.

1. It helps promote growth and healing of tissues.

Our muscles and organs are of vital importance.

Try eating an orange or drinking a glass of fresh orange juice to give them a boost.

2. It fights cancer.

A hearty sweet potato can be a wonderful-tasting weapon against cancer.

3. It fights infection.

With different types of viruses and bacteria floating around, it helps to have something to ward off infections.

A serving of brussel sprouts can help. Many people say they don’t like the taste of brussel sprouts. They’ve never been my favorites either until I tried them roasted. Roasting them seems to bring out a succulent sweetness that makes them quite enjoyable.

If you’ve never liked them before, try roasting them.

4. It cleanses the body of toxins.

With the industrialized, chemically-enhanced world we live in today, it’s very difficult to avoid pollution.

 

But, you can use lemons –  great sources of vitamin C – in cooking, and hot and cold drinks to rid your body of toxins.

5. It promotes immune function.

A healthy immune system, gives your body a fighting chance against the onslaught of illness-causing invaders like viruses, bacteria, and pollution.

Cantaloupe and honey dew melons, and strawberries are delicious ways to enhance it.

A bonus benefit

Those are the physical benefits. There are other benefits as well including providing lift in baking when yeast cannot be used.

In conjunction with baking soda and a light starch such as tapioca or arrowroot flours, it can be used as a baking powder.

A caveat

You don’t want to over do it though. Too much can have some adverse effects including diarrhea.

This becomes more of a problem to be aware of when using dietary supplements and can be avoided if your vitamin C intake is primarily through a healthy diet.

However, if you do decide to supplement, here is a post that features a product that I use and  have enjoyed good results.

With these wonderful foods, it can be quite enjoyable boosting your vitamin C levels.

If you know of some other sources of vitamin C, feel free to share.

 

How do you prepare sweet potatoes or do you not eat them at all?

If not, you are missing out on one of the more nutritious root vegetables.

Fond Memories

Growing up, I frequently enjoyed sweet potato dishes. They were prepared as desserts during the holidays in our home. But, most times they were used as just the right sweet and savory compliment to a meal of meat and vegetables such as succulent roast beef and tender mustard greens.

However, I never thought about their nutritious value much. I think a lot of people don’t. We often hear about how nutritious the varieties of green vegetables are but not much about some of the root vegetables except maybe carrots.

Yet, the sweet potato is a great source of beta carotene, vitamins A, C, and E as well as some others. This means that the sweet potato offers nutrients that guard against night blindness, skin disorders such as acne, and cancer.

What They Are Not

By the way, even though there is a resemblance and a shared name, sweet potatoes are not potatoes as in the white potato type tubers which are members of the Solanaceae (also known as nightshade) botanical food family.

Nor are they yams. In the United States and Canada some varieties of the sweet potato are called yams. True yams are members of the Dioscoreaceae family.

What They Are And How They Look

The sweet potato is a member of the Convolvulaceae (also known as morning glory) family.

Sweet potatoes (native to ancient America) come in a variety of skin and flesh colors. Some of the  skin colors are beige, brown, red, and even purple. The flesh can range from purple to white. It seems that orange ones are more prevalent here in the U.S. although I have prepared some with yellow flesh.

Also, the darker colored flesh is said to have more beta carotene than the lighter ones.

Their peak season is during the Fall.

Some Of My Favorites

As an adult with a family of my own, some of my favorite ways of preparing and eating these nutritious power houses include candied, baked with a dollop of butter (well, actually palm shortening), and the scrumptious sweet potato pie..

What are some of your favorites?