Vitamin C is good for you! Many people start their day with a glass of orange juice because they realize that oranges contain vitamin C. However, there are plenty of other foods that also contain vitamin C. Start adding some of these foods into your meals.

Why do our bodies need vitamin C? WebMD points out that this particular vitamin offers plenty of health benefits. It can help people whose immune systems were weakened due to stress. Vitamin C is sensitive to stress and can be depleted by it. It has been said that the amount of vitamin C in a person’s body is an indicator of their overall health.

You may have heard that vitamin C can “cure” a cold. That’s simply not true. However, it can help prevent a flu from developing into more serious complications, and it may shorten the length of a cold that you are currently suffering from. Vitamin C can also help prevent the skin from aging. It may also help improve macular degeneration, reduce inflammation, and reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

What foods contain vitamin C? The first one that comes to mind for many people is oranges. This delightfully bright colored fruit was once seen as a special treat that a child hoped to find in his or her Christmas stocking. According to Good Housekeeping, one medium orange contains 70 milligrams of vitamin C and 62 calories. A three-fourths cup of orange juice contains 61 to 93 milligrams of vitamin C and somewhere between 79 to 84 calories.

You can also get vitamin C from other citrus fruits like grapefruits, lemons, and limes. Long ago, sailors would bring citrus fruits on board ships so they could consume them and prevent developing a disease called scurvy. Vitamin C can also be found in tangerines and clementines.

The fruit that has the most vitamin C in it is the guava. It has 188 milligrams of vitamin C. You can also get some vitamin C from kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, honeydew melons, and plantains.

In addition to fruits, there are plenty of vegetables that contain vitamin C. One half cup of red pepper contains 142 milligrams of vitamin C. The same amount of cooked red pepper offers 116 milligrams of vitamin C. Most people don’t realize that red pepper has a lot more vitamin C in it than an orange does.

Green peppers are another good choice, offering 60 milligrams of vitamin C per half cup (or 51 milligrams of vitamin C if the same amount is cooked). Are you a fan of Brussels sprouts? They are another good source of vitamin C. Other options include broccoli, cauliflower, collards, tomato juice, and turnip greens.

Posted in: Natural Foods | Comments (0) | Join Discussion