Vitamin C is one of the many essential vitamins your body needs for numerous bodily functions. It acts as a powerful antioxidant to protect the body from damage and disease and is involved in immune, cardiovascular, and brain function, growth and repair, iron absorption, and wound healing.
Often, when following a more restrictive diet, such as vegetarianism, it is harder to get the required nutrients for optimal health. The good news is that vitamin C is just as easy for vegetarians to obtain because it is mostly found in fruit and vegetables.
Keep reading to learn more about the best sources of vitamin C for vegetarians and how taking a vitamin C supplement may benefit your health.
Best Sources of Vitamin C
Following a vegetarian or even vegan diet doesn’t make getting your daily vitamin C harder because it is mostly found in fruit and vegetables!
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women 1. As long as you eat a balanced diet with a variety of fruit and veg, you should be able to get all the vitamin C you need for a healthy body.
To give you an idea, you can get your daily vitamin C from eating just one chili pepper, half a yellow pepper, two kiwis, 56g of blackcurrants, 100g of kale, one orange, 160g of strawberries, and two lemons.
Other good sources of vitamin C include:
- Cantaloupe melon
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Lychees
- Papayas
- Cabbage
- Peas
- Grapefruit
- Mango
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Pineapple
- Cauliflower
Vitamin C is destroyed by heat and boiling water, so it’s best to eat these foods raw or steamed. In fact, as soon as fruit and vegetables are picked, their vitamin C levels begin to decline - so it’s even better if you can eat them fresh. Refrigerating or freezing can help preserve their nutrient content.
Do I Need To Take A Supplement?
If you stick to eating your five a day and include plenty of the fruit and vegetables mentioned above in your diet, you shouldn’t need to take a supplement.
But let’s be real, sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Ensuring you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables daily requires forethought and effort, which can be challenging, especially if our busy lives get in the way.
And, if you’re someone that doesn’t like many of the vitamin C-rich fruit and veg, you are likely low in vitamin C, probably without even realizing it!
Vitamin C is water-soluble, meaning it dissolves in water and is transported to tissues. It cannot be stored in the body, so any excess is excreted in the urine. Since it cannot be stored, it’s important to consume vitamin C-rich foods daily 2.
Taking a vitamin C supplement ensures you get the full RDA of vitamin C every day. We recommend stacking two of Performance Lab’s powerful health-boosting supplements, NutriGenesis Multi and PL-Immune.
Together they deliver your daily dose of vitamin C plus other essential nutrients to strengthen your immune system and improve overall health.
Let’s take a closer look at how vitamin C supplements can benefit our health.
Reasons To Take a Vitamin C Supplement
Reduces oxidative stress
Oxidative stress occurs when there is an excess of harmful free radicals in the body and insufficient antioxidants. Free radicals cause cell damage and inflammation and are linked to the development of chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
Antioxidants like vitamin C bind to free radicals, neutralizing their effects to minimize cell damage and reduce disease risk 3.
Boosts immune function
In addition to supporting the immune system through antioxidant effects, vitamin C also enhances the production and function of white blood cells 4.
Vitamin C also helps improve the skin’s natural defense system and assists with wound healing.
Lowers the risk of heart disease
Vitamin C can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol or triglycerides (unhealthy blood fats). To put it into perspective, according to one study, sustained and daily use of vitamin C supplements may lower heart disease risk by up to 25% 5.
Improves brain health
Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell damage caused by free radicals can significantly impact our mental health and increase the risk for cognitive impairments such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Vitamin C is scientifically proven to help protect the brain from damage and cognitive decline by acting as an antioxidant 6.
Vitamin C can also help maintain good mental health because it supports the production of important hormones that regulate mood and brain function and our ability to cope with stress.
Maintains bones and cartilage
Vitamin C plays a big role in producing collagen, an important protein found throughout the body that provides structure and strength to cartilage and bones. Without it, our bones become weak and brittle and more prone to fractures, and cartilage begins to break down.
Vitamin C supplements help keep cartilage and bones healthy and strong and reduce the risk of bone and joint disorders such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
Conclusion
Vitamin C is important for good health. As it is abundant in fruit and vegetables, vegetarians can still get plenty in their diet. Citrus fruits, berries, greens, and cruciferous vegetables are the most vitamin C-rich foods.
Because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, it cannot be stored in the body, so must be replaced daily. This means eating a variety of fruit and veg daily, which for many people is a challenge.
Vitamin C supplements can help keep your vitamin C levels topped up and provide numerous health benefits.
References
- Lykkesfeldt, Jens et al. “Vitamin C.” Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) vol. 5,1 16-8. 1 Jan. 2014, doi:10.3945/an.113.005157
- Chambial, Shailja, et al. "Vitamin C in disease prevention and cure: an overview." Indian journal of clinical biochemistry 28.4 (2013): 314-328.
- Alessio, Helaine M., Allan H. Goldfarb, and Guohua Cao. "Exercise-induced oxidative stress before and after vitamin C supplementation." International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 7.1 (1997): 1-9.
- Huijskens, Mirelle JAJ, et al. "Technical advance: ascorbic acid induces development of double‐positive T cells from human hematopoietic stem cells in the absence of stromal cells." Journal of Leukocyte Biology 96.6 (2014): 1165-1175. These are essential immune warriors that help the body fight off infections.
- Knekt, Paul, et al. "Antioxidant vitamins and coronary heart disease risk: a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts." The American journal of clinical nutrition 80.6 (2004): 1508-1520.
- Paleologos, Michael, Robert G. Cumming, and Ross Lazarus. "Cohort study of vitamin C intake and cognitive impairment." American journal of epidemiology 148.1 (1998): 45-50.
