Looking to add more vitamin C into your daily diet? Check out these five easy methods for how. We’ll even show you what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Once you start understanding how nutrition affects your overall health, you pay more attention to what you put in your mouth. Vitamins and minerals are the life forces of your body, keeping things running smoothly all on their own.
One of those crucial vitamins is C, and it’s also one of the most well known. This antioxidant seems to be a powerhouse of nutrition, fighting free radicals, and promoting general health.
It may not be more powerful than a locomotive or able to dodge speeding bullets, but it’s still the Superman of the vitamin world.
The benefits of Vitamin C are still under study, but the list is already extensive. It could be helpful for everything from ramping up your immune system against the common cold to decreasing the signs of aging.
Since it’s also a stress reliever, everyone has a reason to want more Vitamin C in their diet.
Whether you want to be healthier, look younger, or have less stress, here’s what you need to do to get your daily dose of Vitamin C.
1. Add it to Your Recipes
As hard as it is to believe, there was a time not too long ago where people sat down at the table to eat home-cooked meals every night. Today’s hectic pace and the need for two providers per household make this difficult — if not impossible — for many.
Still, we all understand the importance of meal planning a healthy menu, even if we can’t quite master the skill.
How to Easily Eat Your Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of a few nutrients that are easy to slide into a fast, on-the-go breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One or two servings per meal is all you need when you use foods like these:
- Breakfast – Even the pickiest of eaters can find a way to enjoy their Vitamin C intake at breakfast. A medium-sized orange gives you 78% of your daily dosage.
The same-sized kiwi nets you 71%, and half a cup of fresh, sliced strawberries generates 54% of your Vitamin C diet.
- Lunch – On a busy day, lunches get skipped, or junk food fills the slot. Adding a small serving of raw veggies to your plate carries you through this otherwise unhealthy time.
Keep some cauliflower nearby. Half a cup is easy to snack on and gives you 29% of your daily Vitamin C. Or add a medium-sized raw tomato to your sandwich or salad for 19% of what your body needs.
Even better, half of a sweet red pepper takes care of it all at 106% of the daily dosage.
- Dinner – Lots of choices will help you plan a Vitamin C-filled dinner. Flavor cooked veggies with melted cheese or butter and a little salt and pepper, to taste.
Half a cup of steamed broccoli gives you 57% of your Vitamin C. The same amount of brussels sprouts offers 53%, and cooked cabbage has 31% of your daily intake.
But if you can’t get someone to eat their green veggies, a medium-sized baked potato will at least generate 19% of the Vitamin C they need.
2. Sprinkle it on Your Meals
Even an unhealthy meal can be beneficial with a little Vitamin C sprinkled on it. If you must eat fast food or another meal replacement, top it with some freshly diced or powdered Vitamin C.
You can make your own organic powder by using citrus fruit like oranges, mandarins, limes, and lemons.
Or you can finely dice your favorite fruits and veggies and add them as toppings. Some of the foods that dice well and add sweet or savory flavor to most meals include:
- kale
- strawberries
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- kiwi
- peppers (green, red, or chili, whichever you prefer)
As you pair different foods with your Vitamin C toppings, you’ll find combinations you enjoy and those that you know you’ll never repeat again. Still, you’ll be getting your vitamins while you experiment!
3. Drink It!
If you’d rather get your Vitamin C intake done and over with in one sitting, you can always drink it.
Brands like Emergen-C offer different types of immune support that you can mix with water. Or you can drink fresh juice each meal, like these common choices:
- A ¾ cup of orange juice is 103% of your daily Vitamin C serving
- The same amount of grapefruit juice gives you 78% of what you need
- Tomato juice in ¾ cup portions has 37% of the daily Vitamin C
- 8 ounces of a general vegetable juice takes care of 80% of your Vitamin C intake
Drink your dose for breakfast to carry you through the day!
4. Make it a Daily Snack
Having healthy snacks on hand instead of chips and cookies makes us more likely to get our vitamins.
Fruits and vegetables have more benefits than sweets and can be just as flavorful. Try some of these powerful, delicious snack combos when you want to munch between meals:
- Raw broccoli with Greek yogurt dip
- Sliced pepper and hummus
- Strawberries with yogurt dip
- Strawberry and almond milk smoothies
- Cantaloupe dipped in cottage cheese
The mix of sweet and savory takes care of most cravings. And the texture that comes with most raw fruits and veggies gives that satisfying “crunch” we want!
5. Swallow the Pills
Vitamin C is especially necessary for those who are predisposed to certain chronic conditions or who already have them. If you don’t want to take a chance on your meals filling this daily nutrient, supplements are available.
Taking a pill for your vitamins doesn’t pack the same punch as directly eating healthy foods, but it’s still a good choice!
Vitamin C is water-soluble, which means it’s easy to digest in food or supplement form. It’s also one of the few vitamins that you can’t have too much of since your body doesn’t store it.
This has pros and cons. You can eat as much as you want without worrying about adverse side effects. But you have to have your full dose every day to get the benefits.
Conclusion
Consistently taking Vitamin C supplements and eating more mindfully leads to improved health. You’ll notice a better immune system, enhanced antioxidant levels, and lower blood pressure, as well as many other perks.
The benefits are incredible, the food is delicious, and it’s all easy to add to your meals. With so many options, Vitamin C should be the one nutrient you have enough of every day!
About the author
Dominique Daniels is the Business Manager at Autumn Ranch on Swensen Farms. With over five years of property management experience, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She finds joy in helping current and future residents and makes Autumn Ranch on Swensen Farms a place everyone loves to call home.
