Did You Know…just a few teaspoons of this superfruit contain more vitamin C than an orange?
Unlike almost every other living creature, humans cannot make our own supply of vitamin C, which makes it essential for us to take in an adequate quantity from our diet. In a serving-to-serving comparison, the baobab (pronounced BEY-oh-bab) fruit contained 6 times more vitamin C than oranges.
What is a Baobab?
The baobab fruit is shaped like a mango with a hard outer shell like a coconut. When you crack open the shell, you find the pulp, which naturally dehydrates while the fruit is on the tree and contains high levels of vitamin C as well as other vital nutrients. Even better, this form of vitamin C is far more powerful than any pill. That’s because nutrients that come from a natural source are more bioavailable than those from manufactured supplements, meaning your body can absorb them more easily and more completely.
The Importance of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential to optimal health; without enough vitamin C, many bodily functions become impaired. Your body needs vitamin C in order to…
- Form collagen, a necessary component of your skin, teeth, cartilage, bone, and blood vessels
- Maintain immune system defenses
- Release metabolic energy
- Power the nervous system
- Sustain psychological function
- Protect cells from oxidative stress
Despite the many components of your overall wellbeing affected by vitamin C, mainstream medicine has vehemently challenged the idea that it can not only support your health but also prevent life-threatening conditions.
When two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling claimed that large doses of vitamin C could protect against cancer and heart disease, the establishment was quick to undermine those claims. However, research conducted since Pauling’s death indicates that his claims may simply have been ahead of their time.
Research Corroborates Nobel Prize Winner’s Claims
A decade-long study carried out by Dr. James Engstrom of UCLA showed that men who took 800 milligrams of vitamin C daily had lower rates of heart disease and lived up to 10 years longer than the control group. Even more remarkable, the control group was not men who did not supplement with vitamin C—it was men who took 60 milligrams daily, the recommended RDA! A separate study conducted with 11,200 senior citizens found that those who supplemented with high potency vitamin C (and vitamin E) had a reduced mortality rate of 42%. At least 40 other studies have shown diets with high levels of vitamin C can reduce your risk of cancer.
The incredible healing power of vitamin C stems from its capacity to forestall free radical damage. Vitamin C acts as a reducing agent—it lends an electron to free radicals, neutralizing them before they can damage your cells and DNA.
If you’re interested in increasing your intake of vitamin C, you would do well to add a high-quality baobab powder to your diet. Factors that influence the nutrient levels of baobab powders are…
Baobab fruits grown in southern Africa tend to have higher levels of antioxidants like vitamin C than those from other areas. Allowing the fruit to fully dehydrate in its shell prior to picking maximizes its nutrient levels. Finally, transforming the pulp to powder with the minimal amount of processing possible ensures its nutrients remain intact. |
