Although Vitamin C is well-known as a dietary supplement, it is commonly found in multiple foods naturally. This vitamin is used by the body to support your immune system, which is especially important as cold and flu season arrive. Read along to find out more of the benefits of this nutrient along with some suggested foods.
Foods High in Vitamin C
Luckily, Vitamin C can be found in many foods and is most often associated with citrus fruits such as lemon, limes, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit. However, Vitamin C isn’t limited to citrus fruits, as there are plenty of other fruits and even vegetables that contain high levels of this nutrient. Some other foods high in vitamin C are broccoli, red cabbage, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and kiwi. The best part about this variety? They can easily be incorporated in a salad, as a side dish or even as a snack!
Benefits of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important nutrient to our body. It aids the body in completing many important functions: repairing tissue, forming collagen, immune system defense, maintaining adequate formation of teeth and bones and cartilage as well as healing wounds. Vitamin C also helps your body to increase absorption of iron, which is essential for the formation of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin facilitates red blood cells carrying oxygen throughout your body, an essential function that keeps us alive and healthy.
Since vitamin C helps your body to perform these crucial functions to keep you healthy, making sure to consume enough of it is important to take care of yourself. The most important times for increased vitamin C intake are during illness, cold weather, or when there are high infection rates. Since vitamin C aids in the function of your immune system, it also helps to decrease the risk that an infection will be severe or prolonged.
Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.