With the weather growing colder by the day, many of us are succumbing to coughs, colds and sniffles.

Yet, if you want to get your body prepared for battle and ready to fight back against those pesky illnesses that seem to be coming out of hiding, then vitamin C is crucial to your weaponry.

Why Vitamin C?

Your mum was right - getting in plenty of vitamin C is crucial in fighting off colds and nasties. This is because Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic Acid, can help to strengthen the body's immune system.

Not only does it hep to protect cells and keep them healthy, but it's also needed to heal wounds and maintain healthy connective tissue, build collagen, protect against free radicals and support the skin, bones and blood.

Vit C also blocks the building of proteins that cause infection and inflammation, and can even reduce the effects of oxidative stress.

What If I Don't Get Enough?

If you're stressed or rundown (or even if you put your body through lots of intense workouts), then you may already be low on Vitamin C. You'll also need to top up more if you are a smoker.

If you don't get enough vitamin C, you could develop Scurvy (although that is pretty rare), feel lethargic and suffer with various aches and pains. A lack of vitamin C can also cause bleeding gums, rough skin, dry hair anaemia, weakened teeth, or even prevent wounds and illnesses from healing properly.

Good Sources of Vitamin C:

Since we can't store vitamin C in the body (it is water-soluble), we need to get it from our diet, every single day! You'll be able to get your daily dose of vitamin C in fruit and veg including:

• Oranges and lemons
• Chilli peppers
• Red and green peppers
• Kale
• Papaya
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Potatoes
• Mango

You can also find vitamin C in natural superfoods such as baobab, cacao, wheatgrass and camu camu.

To ensure you're getting plenty of vitamin C, you could also try adding plenty of chopped veggies to your favourite pasta sauces (or even grate veg into muffins), stir fresh berries into your morning porridge, enjoy homemade smoothies, or indulge in a mid-week Cauliflower Pizza.