Six common foods rich in vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble, potent antioxidant vitamin that isn't stored in the body. As thus, we need to take Vitamin C rich foods every day in order to stay healthy.

Vitamin C is very important to the body owing to its numerous positive effects. Some of its benefits include helping in the maintenance and growth of tissues in the body; strengthening bones and teeth, and keeping the immune system in check as well as improving skin health.

Here are some of the vitamin C foods that one should aim to consume daily for their benefits.

Consuming a glass of orange juice gives you a full day’s worth of Vitamin C.

Whole oranges are rich in vitamin C and are good sources of fiber. Both orange and orange juice are also rich in potassium as well as vitamin A.

Other fruits like grapefruit and lime also provide some good amounts of vitamin C. Adding them to your diet choices also increases your vitamin C.

This is a huge source of Vitamin C and it's both beneficial when consumed raw or cooked. However, when you cook your broccoli, while it still provides the body with a large amount of Vitamin C, the available amounts reduces. So, it is advisable to serve it slightly cooked or steamed.

Broccoli provides about 30mg of Vitamin C. It is also a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamins A and K. This leafy vegetable contains lots of antioxidants too.

A raw tomato can provide almost 20mg of vitamin C, but when concentrated into juice, they provide almost 120 mg of vitamin C.

Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin A and antioxidants which are essential for your health.

To increase your vitamin C consumption, ensure you use tomato and its products more often.

A serving of that bright green pepper is good for you because it contains almost 95mg of Vitamin C. Raw sweet pepper on the other hand are also rich in vitamin C but come with a milder flavor and one cup can contain 117mg of vitamin C which is more than the green pepper.

Adding pepper to your food when cooking helps in providing lots of Vitamin C to the body.

Collard greens, also known as sukuma wiki, is a cruciferous vegetable that is readily found in many homes.

A cup of chopped collard greens provides almost 80mg of vitamin C together with high quantities of vitamin K.

Like any other vegetable, cooking this vegetable, however, reduces its levels of vitamin C but it still has about 53mg of vitamin C. Nonetheless, research has found out that boiling, frying or steaming this green vegetable produces more potent antioxidants that help reduce chronic illnesses like tuberculosis, chronic peptic ulcer and many more.

Cabbage is also a food rich in vitamin C. Raw cabbage contains about 30mg of vitamin C. Cabbage also contains fiber, minerals, vitamin K and antioxidants.

Other easy to find foods rich in vitamin C include: grapefruits, strawberries, pineapples and potatoes contain vitamin C.