When we get a flu, we all rush to get oranges and lemons because we know that citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C. Instead of waiting until when you are sick to start looking for ways to boost your immunity, why not just stay healthy by making sure that you are eating all the right foods?
Since the body does not store vitamin C, you will need to consume it often to ward off diseases and infections. Vitamin C is water soluble and once the body absorbs what’s needed, the excessive amounts are gotten rid of through urine.
One study concluded that the recommended intake of vitamin C is 200 mg a day for adults. Even though the recommended daily intake is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men, those amounts are only enough to prevent a deficiency in vitamin C. Furthermore, there are more benefits that come with this vitamin apart from boosting your immunity and it’s unlikely that too much will affect you since as we had mentioned earlier, the body gets rid of the excessive amounts.
Foods that are high in vitamin C
Here are some foods that you can incorporate in to your diet to give your immunity a boost. Surprisingly, some have higher amounts of Vitamin C than the oranges we always turn to.
1 cup raw red bell peppers – 190 mgs
1 cup tomato juice – 170 mgs
1 Pawpaw – 168 mgs
1 guava – 126 mgs
1 chili pepper – 109 mgs
1 cup broccoli – 101 mgs
1 cup of strawberries – 89 mgs
1 lemon – 83 mgs
1 cup of raw kale – 80mgs
1 orange – 70 mgs
Some more benefits of vitamin C
Apart from boosting your immune system and preventing scurvy, some more benefits of vitamin C include;
Managing hypertension
Lowering the risk of heart diseases
Improving the body’s ability to absorb iron
Reducing the risk of chronic illnesses