Another water-soluble nutrient, vitamin C is one that plays a predominant role in your growth and development.

Since vitamin C will dissolve easily in water, this means you must be getting some from your diet or in supplemental form each day or else a deficiency can result. There is also a decreased risk of toxicity because any extra taken in will usually just be excreted in the urine.

Aside from repair and growth of bodily tissues, Vitamin C also helps to form collagen, which is the protein that makes up the skin, scar tissues, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. It is also important for the proper healing of skin wounds as well as the repair and maintenance of bones and teeth.

This nutrient additionally acts as an antioxidant in the body therefore helping fight off any damage that occurs due to free radicals you encounter. This is important for the prevention of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

The main places you can find this nutrient in your diet are from richly colored fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, leafy greens, cantaloupe, mangoes, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries.

As stated above, toxicity of this substance in the body is rare but when extremely high dosages (above 2000 mg/day) are taken, it can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea. A deficiency however is more common and when occurring will result in the side effects of dry and splitting hair, gingivitis, bleeding gums, rough, dry skin, a slowed healing process, easily bruising skin, nosebleeds and weakened tooth enamel.