Vitamin C for Good Skin?

We often only hear about Vitamin C in relation to immunity and busting that tough-to-beat cold but I recently heard one of my favorite health experts talking about Vitamin C for youthful-looking skin.

By Katerina Mountanos

Dear Kosterina Family,

We often only hear about Vitamin C in relation to immunity and busting that tough-to-beat cold but I recently heard one of my favorite health experts talking about Vitamin C for youthful-looking skin.

Dr. Steven Gundry is a renowned heart surgeon who is hyper-focused on longevity. In his book from 2017, The Plant Paradox, he highlights both the internal and more interestingly, external benefits of our good friend, Vitamin C. He referenced a scientific research study from the 1990s that shows our body uses Vitamin C to repair the cracks in our skin. So, the more of it we have in our bodies, the better.

Humans are apparently one of the only animals that don't produce our own Vitamin C, so we have to get it from foods and supplements in our diet. Gundry recommends taking two 1,000mg capsules of Vitamin C each day. You can also increase your intake through Vitamin C-rich foods like papaya, pineapple and citrus fruits. The best part? You can't overdo it - our body naturally gets rid of "too much" Vitamin C by excreting it. So, go for it!

One of my favorite tidbits — Dr. Gundry talks about is the connection between Vitamin C and EVOO (he's obsessed, just like us). EVOO has been proven to turn on a special human gene called the "ghost gene" which partially allows us to produce our own Vitamin C. So, these superfoods are truly remarkable!