Beat stress and stay healthy this Christmas with Zespri SunGold kiwifruit

Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year – but also one of the most stressful! From shopping for presents and pressure to cook the perfect meal, to fears of overeating and gaining holiday weight, festive stress can overwhelm even the most organised of us.

What is stress and why is it bad?

Stress is the body's natural response to any kind of demand or threat. When we feel threatened, our brain responds by making stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which prepare the body for emergency action – often called the "fight or flight" response.¹

In some situations, stress can be useful. This is because it helps us to stay focused, motivated, and alert. However, when stress becomes overwhelming or lasts for more than a few days, it can affect our immune system and even lead to mental and physical health problems.¹

Vitamin C: the stress-fighting nutrient

While most of us know that vitamin C supports a healthy immune system, few people are aware that it plays a critical role in managing stress. Scientists have found that people who have high levels of vitamin C feel less stressed in high-pressure situations than people with low levels of vitamin C in their blood.²

This means that when you don’t have enough vitamin C in your body, you may be less able to cope with stress. In addition, low levels of vitamin C may further weaken your already vulnerable immune system, which is impacted by stress.³

Zespri SunGold kiwifruit: bursting with vitamin C!

Did you know?

Zespri SunGold kiwifruit contains 161 mg of vitamin C per 100 g – that means that each fruit provides more than your daily requirement!⁴

Eating vitamin C-rich foods daily is the best way to make sure that your body is getting enough of this important nutrient. Zespri SunGold kiwifruits are exceptionally high in vitamin C, each one providing you with more than your daily requirement – that’s more than three times the amount found in oranges!^5,6 What’s more, research has shown that this high vitamin C content can help decrease feelings of fatigue and increase physical and mental energy,⁷ making them the perfect snack to help you get through the festive period!

Sources

1. University of Maryland Medical Centre. Stress. Available at: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/stress (accessed 19 October 2016)
2. Psychology Today. Vitamin C: Stress Buster. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/vitamin-c-stress-buster (accessed 19 October 2016)
3. National Institutes of Health. Vitamin C. Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/ (accessed 4 October 2016)
4. European Food Safety Authority. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for vitamin C. EFSA Journal 2013;11:3418
5. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28 (2015).
6. Carr AC, Bozonet SM, Pullar JM, Vissers MC. Mood improvement in young adult males following supplementation of yellow kiwifruit, a high-vitamin C food. Journal of nutritional science 2013; 2:e24