You Don’t Need To Take A Vitamin C Supplement – Just Eat These Foods
Vitamin C is known as one antioxidant that has incredibly positive effects on both skin health and the immune system, and for good reason. It’s one of the most important vitamins we need since the human body is incapable of producing and storing vitamin C. So, it’s essential to consume it on a regular basis in sufficient amounts. For the most part, it’s a rather known fact that some foods contain high amounts of the vitamin, such as oranges, but there are many more fruits and veggies we all should be eating in order to get our daily value of vitamin C. As of now, the daily value of vitamin C is 90 mg for adults, so let’s see what foods are rich in this antioxidant to help us reach that goal.
Chili Peppers
This one is for those who enjoy spicy foods. It turns out that one green chili pepper contains 109 mg of vitamin C, which is 121% of the DV (daily value). Additionally, chili peppers are rich in capsaicin, a compound that’s responsible for their hot taste. This component might help reduce pain and inflammation in the body.
Thyme
If you’re a fan of this herb, we have some great news. Gram for gram, fresh thyme has three times more vitamin C than oranges. In fact, this herb has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C out of all the culinary herbs. One ounce of fresh thyme has a whopping 45 mg of vitamin C – 50% of the DV. Even if you sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the herb on your meal will add 3.5-7 mg of vitamin C to your diet.
Mustard Spinach
Just one cup of raw chopped mustard spinach has 195 mg of vitamin C – 217% of the DV. While the heat from cooking lowers the vitamin C content in foods, one cup of cooked mustard greens still has 117 mg of vitamin C – 130% of the DV. Just like a lot of other dark leafy greens, mustard spinach is high in vitamin A, potassium, calcium, manganese, fiber, and folate as well.
Kale
One cup of chopped raw kale contains 80 mg of vitamin C – 89% of the DV. Not to mention, it also has high amounts of vitamin K and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. A cup of cooked kale has 53 mg of vitamin C, 59% of the DV.
Kiwi
A medium kiwi can have as much as 71 mg of vitamin C which is 79% of the DV. On top of that, studies have shown that kiwi could help reduce oxidative stress, lower cholesterol, and improve the immune system’s function.
Lemons
This one is rather known, but all the same, we wanted to include it. Lots of citrus fruits tend to be high in vitamin C, and lemons are no different. One whole raw lemon, including the peel, has 83 mg of vitamin C – 92% of the DV. Vitamin C in lemon juice acts as an antioxidant as well.
Papaya
One cup of papaya contains 87 mg of vitamin C, or 97% of the DV. Another benefit of vitamin C is that it helps memory and has anti-inflammatory effects on the brain. In short, vitamin C is one vitamin you want to make sure you’re getting enough of.