If You're Missing This Key Nutrient, You're Aging Way Faster

With all the fountain-of-youth fads around, most people don’t think to look at the plain old goodness of vitamin C, but getting enough of this nutrient is a powerful way to put yourself on the fast track to slow aging. Most people underestimate it, but vitamin C deficiency can cause rapidly increasing signs and conditions of aging. Plus, humans cannot manufacture large amounts of vitamin C on their own. Signs of deficiency include easy bruising, low iron levels, and bleeding gums. Consider the following benefits of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that clears toxins out of your body to keep you looking youthful. This nutrient also helps your body produce collagen, an amino acid that forms connective fibers necessary for healthy, radiant skin.

Lack of vitamin C also hits your immune system hard because it is the main nutrient that helps keep your body’s disease-fighting antibodies up and battling viral and bacterial infections so you recover faster.

High doses of vitamin C have been shown to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, according to recent research1.

Another benefit of vitamin C is that it boosts amino acids that improve mental clarity.

It's easy to get your daily vitamin C from the right foods such as citrus fruits including oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruits and other fruits such as strawberries, kiwifruit, pineapple, cantaloupe, raspberries, and papaya. When you're looking to citrus for your vitamin C, remember to use the zest and flesh, as peels contain five to 10 times more vitamins than the fruit itself.

You can also get vitamin C in leafy greens, red and orange bell peppers, carrots, and summer and winter squash. If you want to front-load your day with a vitamin-C-packed smoothie, this is a great one to try.

Or you could just eat vitamin-packed pumpkin pie for breakfast! And remember, if you want to learn more about hormones and aging from Dr. Taz, be sure to check out mbg's new functional nutrition program!