Do you know the importance of vitamin C for athletes? It has enormous properties that strengthen both the immune system and physical performance. This is one of the reasons why many athletes already include it in their diet, however, there is still quite a lot of ignorance about it.
That is why today we are going to talk to you about the benefits it has, the recommended amounts for its consumption and which are the foods richest in vitamin C.
Take strength, that we start!
Vitamin C: benefits in sport
Our body is not capable of generating this compound, so including it in our diet is very important. Especially in people who practice physical activities constantly, because its deficit can harm the sport performance.
The benefits of vitamin C in athletes are multiple, and these are increased in the case of athletes or sports of strength and high intensity.
It is antioxidant
Vitamin C fights high oxidative stress, significantly reducing its damage. This is generated to a greater extent during resistance and strength training, such as weight lifting. But what is oxidative stress? It is the imbalance that occurs in our body when we generate excessive oxygen loads.
To counteract them, it is necessary to have reserves of antioxidants in our body. And there is no better known antioxidant than Vitamin C. If even your grandmother said so, “drink the orange juice quickly that you lose the nutrients”. And what nutrients do we mean…? Bingo!
Helps regenerate muscles
Sports performance and vitamin C go hand in hand and this facilitates recovery from injuries. You may be wondering why, well, vitamin C contributes to the production of collagen, the most important protein in our body for the maintenance of bones, tendons, ligaments and of course, muscles.
It facilitates the recovery of tissues, so it is especially important that vitamin C is very present in the diet of athletes who suffer frequent injuries.
Promotes the absorption of iron
Anemia is one of the most common problems among high performance athletes. When you train hard, your red blood cells may be reduced. To counteract this effect, including vitamin C in your diet may be the solution as it helps with iron absorption.
Promotes the absorption of iron
Anemia is one of the most common problems among high performance athletes. When you train hard, your red blood cells may be reduced. To counteract this effect, including vitamin C in your diet may be the solution as it helps with iron absorption.
Strengthens the immune system
One of the world’s best known remedies for colds is good orange juice (again, thank you grandmothers for the information!). But, hyperbole aside, it is true that vitamin C helps to improve our immune system. It prevents against colds and intestinal diseases, which are very prone to suffer people with low defenses.
In other words, it helps us to be as strong as oaks, to have an iron health, to be as hard as a stone. In short, to be the way we like it at CC Health.
Foods rich in vitamin C
As you have just seen, vitamins are essential to keep us healthy and strong. If you want to incorporate them into your diet but you don’t know which foods are the richest in vitamin C, don’t worry, we have prepared a list for you.
There is life beyond the recurring orange juice we have been talking about throughout this post.
Fruits:
- Citrus fruit
- Kiwi
- Strawberries
- Melon
- Guava
Vegetables:
- Broccoli
- Red bell pepper
- Spinach
- Brussels sprouts
Vitamin C supplements
In addition to these foods, dietary supplements are a good option to help you supplement your diet. They help us ensure that our bodies receive enough vitamins to perform fully.
If you practice sports intensely and need to incorporate vitamins into your diet, our High Impact Fat Burner is what you need. It is a natural antioxidant rich in vitamin C that will help you increase your sports performance, providing an extra boost of strength. In addition, it promotes the restructuring of muscle fibers during and after exercise. You will notice that you are less fatigued and this will be reflected in your results.
Recommended amount of Vitamin C for athletes
Now that we’ve told you about vitamin C and its benefits in sports, don’t go overboard and overdo it. Like everything in this life, it is good in its right measure and in this case, small amounts are enough.
With doses of 0.2 g per day would be enough to maintain good levels of vitamin C in our body. Incorporating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables into your diet is enough to reach this amount, as only one orange provides between 100 and 200 mg of vitamin C.
By making this small change in your eating habits, combined with the CC Health supplement, you will be able to notice improvement in one or two weeks. Your performance will increase and fatigue will be reduced.