Tasty Ways to Bring Vitamin C to the Table
By Sandy Schroeder
We are all rapidly trying to move away from the cold and flu season, but it never hurts to keep Vitamin C protection going to boost the immune system. If you agree, there are many natural ways to increase Vitamin C intake besides taking vitamins or downing glasses of OJ.
Here are some tasty choices loaded with Vitamin C from HealthOptions.com and Foodnetwork.ca.
Red Bell Peppers - One red pepper delivers 300 percent of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C, plus a healthy dose of Vitamin A to protect vision. Look for a recipe for roasted red pepper soup and enjoy. Or roast with sweet potatoes, onions and carrots in olive oil for supper.
Cantaloupe - This superfood packs 100 milligram of Vitamin C into a 100 calories. That’s a nice tradeoff! Enjoy it for breakfast or with Prosciutto and White Port for dinner. With summer coming this can be a great choice for any meal.
Tomatoes - Every time you dip into a red tomato salsa you get about 23 milligrams of Vitamin C. When you use raw green tomatoes the dosage jumps to 23 milligrams. Sun-dried tomatoes deliver almost 40 milligrams of Vitamin C in 100 grams.
Broccoli - Here’s a superfood choice, but the Vitamin C content starts to lessen right after it is cut. Look for a broccoli and beef spicy dinner recipe or make broccoli and cheese soup for lunch. Keep cooked broccoli spears in the fridge for salads, too.
Strawberries - One medium-size strawberry delivers 20 milligrams of Vitamin C. Top your cereal or whip up a smoothie or a strawberry tart. All of the berries are good Vitamin C choices. Go for blueberries, raspberries and boysenberries, too.
Brussels sprouts - A serving for dinner will give you 85 milligrams of Vitamin C. Look for salad or roasted vegetable recipes and jazz them up with bacon.
Peas - Use fresh peas to get the maximum Vitamin C impact along with folate, potassium, manganese and Vitamin K.
Papaya - A whole papaya contains more than 230 milligrams of Vitamin C. It’s also packed with fiber, Vitamin A and folate. Look for a papaya chicken recipe for dinner.
Kiwi fruit - Top a salad or breakfast dishes with slices of kiwi and collect 140 milligrams of Vitamin C. You also get potassium and copper.
Here are some more good Vitamin C foods to enjoy.
- Kale
- Tomato juice
- Parsley
- Sweet potato
- Cauliflower
- Banana
- Peaches
- Guavas
- Kidney beans
- Citrus fruits
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Fort Worth, Tex.