If you think eating foods rich in vitamin C is optional, you are wrong. The truth is that not only does vitamin C act as a great antioxidant, but it also helps build tissues and protect our bones. The ideal thing to do is to consume a little bit of vitamin C every single day, but sadly most people just don’t bother. In fact, even with the sheer number of vitamin C supplements flooded the market, it’s sad to see that the average U.S. adult takes a much lower amount of vitamin C than the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) level. This problem is more severe in women than in men, which is exactly why you need to shake things up and include vitamin C in your diet.
Vitamin C Rich Foods
Pineapple
Not only are pineapple delicious to eat and their juice refreshing to drink, but they’re also an amazing source of vitamin C. In fact, one cup of this fruit gives you roughly 80mg of vitamin C. Apart from that, your body also gets a boost of bromelain, an enzyme that helps you with protein digestion.
Acerola Cherry
This is one of those vitamin C rich foods that many don’t know about. It’s tiny and red in color, and when it comes to vitamin C, you’ll be shocked to know that it gives your body 65x more vitamin than an orange.
Strawberries
One cup of strawberries gives you around 85mg of vitamin C. Not only that, these little berries also help in controlling your body’s sugar levels and giving your body a boost of manganese. But be careful when purchasing them – strawberries are notorious for being laden with pesticides, so it’s best to purchase organically grown ones.
Papaya
A large sized papaya gives you 238mg of vitamin C. Sounds impressive, right? That’s because it is. Apart from that, it also provides your body with fiber, vitamin A and enzymes like papain and chymopapain, which help in the reduction of inflammation.
Black Currant
Didn’t expect to see this on our list, did you? Well, surprise, surprise! This dark purple beauty sure packs a punch when it comes to vitamin C. Apart from giving you 180mg of vitamin C per serving, it also provides your body with much needed vitamin B5, iron and potassium as well.
Mango
Ah, the king of fruits and for good reason. Who doesn’t like to get a bite of these sweet, juicy slices of heaven whenever possible? And amazingly, an average sized mango provides you with 122mg of vitamin C!
Kohlrabi
Yet another one of those vitamin C rich foods that most people don’t know about. In fact, I bet some might even not know this fruit existed before I wrote about it, right? Be prepared to be amazed. With almost 85mg of vitamin C for every cup, this member of the Brassica family also helps your body increase its chances of fighting cancer. Now if that isn’t a miracle fruit, then I don’t know what is!
Yellow Bell Peppers
Now, I know it’s kinda impossible to eat them raw, which is why most people avoid bell peppers altogether. But you can definitely spice up your diet by adding these low calorie veggies to your home cooked meals. Not only will they give it an added flavor, but also will provide your body with much needed vitamin C – 300mg per cup!
Melons
Melons like cantaloupes and watermelons are a surprisingly decent source of vitamin C. Although watermelons only give you 12mg of vitamin C per cup (low, I know), that same amount just has about 45 calories or roughly 2% of your daily 2000 calorie intake. This means you can eat quite a lot of melon without having to worry about your calories and weight. And cantaloupes, on the other hand, give you 67mg of vitamin C per cup, alongside potassium and vitamin A.
Kale
One serving per day is what you need, because that will give you up to 130mg of vitamin C, which is almost the exact amount of your daily vitamin C requirement!
Guava
Ah, nothing better than to sink your teeth into some juicy guavas on a hot summer day, right? This tropical fruit can be ingested in many ways – directly, in juice form, as part of a fruit salad – the possibilities are endless. And guava is of the vitamin C rich foods that provides you with 5x times your recommended daily vitamin C intake. Every cup gives you 377mg of vitamin C. Wow!
Kiwis
Just 2 average sized kiwis can provide you with up to 130mg of vitamin C. What's more, if you have trouble sleeping, then kiwis come to your rescue. As they contain high levels of a hormone named serotonin, they can not only help you sleep quicker, but also improve the quality of your sleep.
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