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What Foods Give You Vitamin C

May Reduce Your Risk Of Chronic Disease

Top 10 Vitamin C Foods You Must Eat

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your bodys natural defenses .

Antioxidants are molecules that boost the immune system. They do so by protecting cells from harmful molecules called free radicals.

When free radicals accumulate, they can promote a state known as oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases .

Studies show that consuming more vitamin C can increase your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%. This helps the bodys natural defenses fight inflammation .

SUMMARY

Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can boost your blood antioxidant levels. This may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.

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Studies have shown that vitamin C may help lower blood pressure in both those with and without high blood pressure.

An animal study found that taking a vitamin C supplement helped relax the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart, which helped reduce blood pressure levels .

Moreover, an analysis of 29 human studies found that taking a vitamin C supplement reduced systolic blood pressure by 3.8 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.5 mmHg, on average, in healthy adults.

In adults with high blood pressure, vitamin C supplements reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.7 mmHg, on average .

SUMMARY

Vitamin C supplements have been found to lower blood pressure in both healthy adults and those with high blood pressure.

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Vegetables High In Provitamin A

Your body can produce vitamin A from carotenoids found in plants.

These carotenoids include beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which are collectively known as provitamin A.

However, about 45% of people carry a genetic mutation that significantly reduces their ability to convert provitamin A into vitamin A (

Depending on your genetics, the following vegetables might provide considerably less vitamin A than indicated.

Dietary Sources Of Vitamin K

We get vitamin K from food and the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract. Newborn babies are given a booster to increase their vitamin K levels because they are born without bacteria in their gastrointestinal tract. We get much of our vitamin K from our diet.

Food sources include:

  • leafy green vegetables spinach and kale
  • fruits
  • some vegetable oils .

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Foods High In Vitamin A

There are plenty of vegetables with vitamin A, and many of them are orange because of the beta-carotene in them, which is a precursor to vitamin A. See the top foods high in vitamin A, according to the USDA, below.

  • Carrots: 148% Daily Value per 1 cup cooked
  • Tuna: 143% DV per 6 oz. cooked
  • Butternut squash: 127% DV per cup cooked
  • Sweet potato: 122% DV per cup cooked
  • Spinach: 105% DV per cup cooked

In addition to these vegetables, there are some vitamin A fruits as well, such as:

  • Cantaloupe: 33% DV per cup
  • Pink grapefruit: 15% DV per cup

Papaya: 883 Mg 98% Dv

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A cup of this pink-red fruit delivers almost a full day’s worth of vitamin C, with 95 percent of the DV.

Thanks to its red color, the tropical fruit is also a good source of vitamin A and lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant found in red foods that has been linked to lower stroke risk, according to the American Heart Association .

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Recommended Daily Intake Of Vitamin D

The recommended daily values for all the nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes, developed by the Food and Nutrition Board . The Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamin D are based on the daily requirements of healthy people.

Since people produce different amounts of this vitamin under sunlight, these values were established for minimal sun exposure. So if youve been looking for the answer to the question How much vitamin D should I take? you should know that this depends on your age and sex.

The RDAs for this vitamin are presented below:

  • from birth to 12 months 10 mcg
  • from 1 to 70 years 15 mcg
  • 70+ years 20 mcg

The RDAs for vitamin D are given in International Units and micrograms , where 1 mcg is equal to 40 IU.

What Foods Are Rich In Vitamin C

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Fruits That Are High In Vitamin C

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Berries High In Vitamin C

Foods High in Vitamin C and Why You Need Vitamin C Sources

Berries are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Theyre delicious and nutritious, packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Plus, berries are rich in antioxidants and low in calories.

You will find large amounts of vitamin C in berries, making them an excellent source of the vital nutrient. Here are the top five berries high in vitamin C.

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What Does Science Say About Vitamin C For Specific Health Conditions

Theres no disputing vitamin C is a vital compound needed for the healthy functioning of our bodies. There is an ever-growing list of afflictions and conditions vitamin C is suggested to improve or prevent, but not all are backed by science, including:

Vitamin C might help to decrease the duration of a cold, but taking it preventively the research doesnt necessarily support that, she says. A study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that high doses of vitamin C may reduce the duration of a cold, but did not have an impact on preventing or reducing the symptoms of a cold.

One thing Moore says there is evidence for is vitamin C does help the body absorb more iron from food, especially nonheme iron from meat-free food sources. Pairing vitamin Crich foods with iron-rich foods for example, spinach with orange segments, or black beans with salsa is especially important for people who are vegan, vegetarian, or anemic, and for women of childbearing age, Moore says.

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How Do You Meet Your Vitamin A Requirements

You can easily meet your requirements for vitamin A by regularly eating some of the foods listed in this article. Many foods also contain added vitamin A, including cereals, margarine and dairy products.

Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is more efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten with fat. Most animal-sourced foods that are rich in vitamin A are also high in fat, but the same doesnt apply to most plant sources of provitamin A.

You can improve your absorption of provitamin A from plant sources by adding a dash of oil to your salad.

However, as mentioned above, some people have a genetic mutation that makes the conversion of provitamin A into vitamin A much less efficient (

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Benefits Of Vitamin C To Dogs

Vitamin C has a lot of health benefits to dogs. For example:

  • Antioxidant: Vitamin C is an antioxidant. It works with vitamin E and helps regenerate vitamin E, enhancing its antioxidative effect.
  • Immune Booster: Vitamin C improves immune function by enhancing white blood cell function and activity. It also increases the blood levels of interferon and antibodies .

    In fact, many veterinarians now routinely include vitamin C in their treatment protocols for various illnesses. Some such illnesses include cancer, infections such as bladder and urinary tract infections , respiratory infections , and others.

    Some veterinarians also suggest giving dogs vitamin C as a preventative and immune booster. For example, vitamin C can be given to dogs before and after vaccination, to weak and old dogs, to pregnant and lactating dogs, and to those that have been exposed to contagious diseases.

  • Antihistamine: Vitamin C may also help with allergies in dogs because it functions like a natural antihistamine.
  • Joint Health: Additionally, vitamin C maintains the health of collagen. So it is helpful for dogs with arthritis and degenerative joint disease, hip dysplasia, and spinal disorders.

Chronic Inflammation And Oxidative Stress

These foods will give you enough vitamin C to boost your ...

Vitamin C is one of the bodys most important water-soluble antioxidants.

It helps prevent cellular damage by neutralizing free radicals that can cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

Oxidative stress and inflammation have been linked to many chronic illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes, so reducing levels is likely beneficial (

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One study found that adults with the lowest blood levels of vitamin C were nearly 40% more likely to develop heart failure within 15 years than those with the highest blood levels, even though they were not deficient in vitamin C .

Summary Regular consumption of antioxidants like vitamin C is associated with health benefits, while low intakes may increase inflammation and oxidative stress.

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How Can You Get More Vitamin C Into Your Diet

You can always use vitamin C supplements for an extra boost, but both Kirkpatrick and Glassman recommend getting vitamin C from food sources whenever possible.

“The best source of that we see is really coming from different types of foods, mainly fruits and vegetables,” Kirkpatrick said. Here is a list of some of the best vitamin C foods.

These veggies and fruits are good sources of vitamin C:

  • Red bell peppers
  • Cruciferous veggies
  • Potatoes

Who Should Take A Vitamin D Supplement

Supplements are recommended to those who cant obtain enough vitamin D from food or sunlight exposure. Since human milk doesnt provide a sufficient amount of this vitamin, breastfed infants need to receive vitamin D supplements.

Furthermore, the elderly tend to have lower vitamin levels as their skin loses the ability to produce vitamin D efficiently. In addition, they usually spend less time outdoors. Other people who also spend most of their time indoors or wear clothes that cover most of their skin are at higher risk of developing a deficiency in vitamin D.

People with dark skin should eat more foods with this nutrient or take vitamin D tablets as their skin has a reduced ability to synthesize vitamin D. Another group at risk of becoming deficient in vitamin D includes obese people or those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery.

Note that some medical conditions, such as celiac disease and Crohns disease, decrease the absorption of dietary fat. Consequently, people with these conditions may have lower concentrations of vitamin D, which is fat-soluble.

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Top 20 Vitamin C Foods That Can Boost Immunity And Fight Disease

By Rachael Link, MS, RD

There are few vitamins that boast as many health benefits as vitamin C. Doubling as both an essential nutrient and powerful antioxidant, vitamin C can have a huge impact on your health from the inside out quite literally. In fact, vitamin C works to improve everything from skin health to immune function and just about everything in between. By incorporating just a few servings of vitamin C foods in your diet, its simple to take advantage of all the health benefits that this water-soluble vitamin has to offer.

So how much vitamin C do you need per day, and how can you maximize your intake to reap the rewards? Lets take a closer look.

How To Take It

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The best way to take vitamin C supplements is 2 – 3 times per day, with meals, depending on the dosage. Some studies suggest that adults should take 250 – 500 mg twice a day for any benefit. Talk to your doctor before taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C on a daily basis and before giving vitamin C to a child.

Daily intake of dietary vitamin C is listed below.

Pediatric

  • Men over 18 years: 90 mg
  • Women over 18 years: 75 mg
  • Pregnant women 14 – 18 years: 80 mg
  • Pregnant women over 18 years: 85 mg
  • Breastfeeding women 14 – 18 years: 115 mg
  • Breastfeeding women over 18 years: 120 mg

Because smoking depletes vitamin C, people who smoke may need an additional 35 mg per day.

The dose recommended to prevent or treat many of the conditions mentioned in the Uses section is often 500 – 1,000 mg per day.

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Do Dogs Need Vitamin C Supplements

Since dogs can produce vitamin C in their bodies, many dog parents wonder if they need to give their dogs vitamin C tablets.

True, dogs can make vit C in their bodies, but if a dog is stressed or sick, their bodies’ output of vitamin C can quickly be depleted.

In fact, it has been found that stress, both physical and emotional , is the best-known cause of vitamin C depletion in dogs.

In addition, it has been found that dogs supplemented with vitamin C have stronger immune systems and show greater resistance to disease, and a better ability to recover from illness or injuries.

Dietary Sources Of Vitamin C

Adults need about 45mg of vitamin C per day and any excess amount is excreted.

Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, so some of its nutritional benefits can be lost during cooking. Raw foods are more beneficial as dietary sources of vitamin C. These include:

  • Fruit oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, blackcurrants, mangoes, kiwifruits, rock melon, tomatoes and strawberries.
  • Vegetables particularly green vegetables , cauliflower and potatoes.

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The Best Sources Of Vitamin C

Which foods are rich in vitamin C and what are the benefits to our health and wellbeing? We asked nutritionist Nicola Shubrook to explain.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is active throughout the body. Its water-soluble, meaning it dissolves in water, and is not stored by the body, so we need to ensure we get adequate amounts from our diet everyday.

What Foods Are The Highest In Vitamin C

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The Office of Dietary Supplements notes vitamin C must be ingested to receive its benefits. Luckily, there are tons of different foods to choose from that are chock-full of vitamin C. Some, like red bell peppers for example, can provide more than 100 percent of your vitamin C intake for the day, says Moore.

People should always begin with a diet high in fruits and vegetables, says Michael Wald, MD, a registered dietitian in Katonah, New York, and host of the radio show Ask The Blood Detective. Age, genetics, absorption, disease, exercise, stress, sleep, alcohol, and various other lifestyle factors all play a role in the amount of vitamin C one needs.

Note that cooking can also affect the nutrient content of foods. Because vitamin C is heat sensitive and water soluble, the longer you cook a food with vitamin C, the more C it loses, notes an article published in April 2018 in the journal Food Science and Biotechnology. The authors noted that microwaving a food with vitamin C led to better retention of the nutrient than boiling. If you can eat foods high in vitamin C raw, even better.

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How To Ensure You Get The Right Vitamins And Minerals In The Right Amounts

Vitamins and minerals are as essential for living as air and water. Not only do they keep your body healthy and functional, they protect you from a variety of diseases.

Vitamins and minerals get thrown together, but they are quite different. Vitamins are organic substances produced by plants or animals. They often are called “essential” because they are not synthesized in the body and therefore must come from food.

Minerals are inorganic elements that originate from rocks, soil, or water. However, you can absorb them indirectly from the environment or an animal that has eaten a particular plant.

Best Vegetables For Vitamin C

  • Olivia Larsen

Are you looking to boost your vitamin C levels?

Thats a smart move.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of the most important nutrients for the human body.

Since our bodies cant produce it, we have to get the nutrient from external sources .

While severe deficiencies are rare, many people dont get enough.

Because of this, they miss out on the juiciest benefits that big C has to offer.

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