Winter is fast approaching, bringing with it the usual flurry of cold and flu germs. Unless you are planning to go a bit 'Howard Hughes' and severe all contact with the outside world, now is probably a good time to stock up on immune system boosting vitamin C. This is especially true if, like me, you are cooped up in an office all day, breathing everyone else's germs.
When I arrived at work this morning I noticed that quite a few of my colleagues were looking a bit snotty, red eyed and bunged up (how attractive!). So in an attempt to ward off the inevitable hoards of germs that will be flinging themselves at me today, I popped over to Tesco's and picked up a tube of effervescent vitamin C.
I have used this product before on a number of occasions and have found it to be very useful. There is the inevitable argument over whether the boost of vitamin C has actually helped your immune system to repel the germs or whether the effects are purely psychological. Whatever the reasoning behind it, I find that after taking this product at the first sign of a cold or soar throat, more often than not the symptoms stop.

For £1.20 you will get a pack of 20 effervescent tablets. Tesco's currently have these on a 3-for-2 offer and they are available in a range of flavours (orange, lemon and lime or raspberry). Each tablet contains 1000mg of Vitamin C, which is equivalent to 16 times your daily recommended allowance (or about 200 oranges!).
Simply dissolve one tablet in a glass of cold water and you will be left with an orange coloured liquid that resembles orange squash. The taste is actually quite pleasant and not at all difficult to drink, kind of orangey but with a metallicy mineral like taste. The tablet dissolves completely in 250 ml of water and leaves no chalky residue or lumpy bits.

The label does state that you should not take more than one of these per day, so make sure you don't inadvertently overdose on them. Apart from that the packaging contains all the pertinent information you would expect, including a list of ingredients and nutritional values of each tablet.

Whether or not I manage to ward off the germs in my office remains to be seen, but I feel like I have given myself a bit of a boost after slurping down one of these. At only £1.20 per pack they are quite good value and the pleasant citrus taste means its not a chore to drink. I would certainly recommend these as an easy way to top up your immune system and boost your vitamin intake.