Читать книгу The Yoga Back Book: The Gentle Yet Effective Way to Spinal Health - Stella Weller - Страница 34

This water-soluble vitamin is needed for healthy tissues, to promote healing and to reinforce resistance to disease. It must be supplied daily since it is not stored in the body.

Vitamin C is essential for the formation and maintenance of collagen, the strong cement-like material that holds cells together. As pointed out in chapter one (here), much of the protective connective tissue in the back is composed of collagen, which is formed largely of protein. Connective tissue plays an important role in the transport of nutrients to various structures (such as bones, tendons and muscles) and in the elimination of waste matter from them.

Vitamin C also contributes to the utilization of oxygen and to the maintenance of a healthy blood circulation. It is, in addition, an anti-stress vitamin and, like vitamins A and E, an antioxidant which helps to slow down the destructive effects of oxygen and other substances.

The best sources of vitamin C include: fresh fruits such as apricots, blackberries, cantaloupe melons, cherries, elderberries, gooseberries, grapefruit, guavas, honeydew melons, kiwi fruit, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, papayas, rosehips (the seed-pods of wild roses), strawberries and tangerines; fresh vegetables such as cabbage, dandelion leaves, green and red peppers, kohlrabi, mustard and cress and turnip tops.