Yet most people don't eat enough of them. Too often, however, fast foods, frozen meals and packets of snack foods replace healthy choices such as fresh vegetables and fruits. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant vitamin.
Some vitamin C is lost in cooking, so remember to eat some raw fruits or salad vegetables each day.
Cooking vegetables in a microwave, stir-frying or steaming preserves more vitamin C than boiling. It helps the body defend itself against infection and also functions as an antioxidant. Fibre is found in fruits and vegetables that do not look obviously stringy. Bananas, peas and potatoes, are all good sources of dietary fibre. Diets high in fruits and vegetables are also excellent sources of hundreds of antioxidant and anti-cancer substances.