Oranges always hog the vitamin C spotlight.

But these juicy gems aren’t the only food high in vitamin C. In fact, oranges don’t even hold the highest content of vitamin C! 

It’s time for produce superstars like acerola cherry and bell peppers to steal that spotlight back. 

While vitamin C comes in a variety of forms rarely found on store shelves these days, remember chalky supplements and powders aren’t your only option. The very best way to ingest this essential vitamin is through foods high in vitamin C. 

Ready to increase vitamin C in your diet and see the positive results? 

Check out our list below to see just which foods are high in vitamin C. 

Why Vitamin C Is Important for Your Body

Vitamin C is the one vitamin most everyone knows is essential to good health. 

And it’s the one vitamin that seems to sell out every time cold and flu season comes around. Or during an active pandemic. 

Maintaining your vitamin C levels is a vital part of staying healthy and well — especially in cold and flu season. Those with appropriate vitamin C levels are shown to fight off infections better than individuals with a vitamin C deficiency. One 2017 study published in Nutrients found those with appropriate vitamin C levels who were also physically active had half the number of colds compared to the general population.

Other than keeping the sniffles away, vitamin C has a huge role in keeping the body functioning on multiple levels.

A few ways vitamin C keeps you well: 

• Helps wounds heal faster 
• Maintains skin health 
• Protects the immune function 
• Plays a vital role in bone formation 

Yet as important as vitamin C is to the body, it’s a water-soluble vitamin that just doesn’t store well in our cells. Because of this, a daily dose of vitamin C is necessary to help your body maintain all its functions.

And while vitamin C deficiency is rare, when it happens, it causes quite a few problems and manifests in a health condition known as scurvy. Its symptoms include anemia, tiredness, bleeding gums, and even swollen joints. 

Luckily, it’s easy to avoid such a deficiency when you have a varied diet full of vitamin c rich foods. 

The daily value needed to hit your necessary levels? A mere 90 milligrams. 

If you prefer to get your vitamins from whole foods instead of tablets, check out our list of nine vitamin C rich foods to keep on hand at all times.

9 Vitamin C Rich Foods to Keep You Feeling Well

Luckily, you'll find vitamin C in plenty of different produce items. 

Here we break down the vitamin C content of some of the tastiest fresh produce items you can find at most local stores.  Plus, we share just how to enjoy these delicious vitamin C rich foods. 

Here are a few of our favorites: 

1. Oranges

No surprise here, eh? It takes the number one spot again. You already knew oranges are full of vitamin C, which is why it’s at the top of this list. Easy to eat and include in a variety of meals, one medium-sized orange offers 70 milligrams of vitamin C. It’s still not quite your full daily value needed, but eat two of these juicy gems and you’re good to go!

Ways to enjoy it:

• Make orange marmalade 

• Freshly-squeezed orange juice 

• Slice it up and add to filtered water 

• Freshly-squeezed in a POTENT-C shot

As one of the easiest and most popular fruits to take on the go, you’ll find oranges are full of other health essentials, too. Oranges contain thiamine, folate, and antioxidants! 

2. Guava

This vitamin C rich fruit hails from Central America and bursts full of flavor. One guava has 126 milligrams of vitamin C! Just one of these fruits and you’ll hit your daily vitamin C requirement. Plus, it’s known for being full of the antioxidant lycopene, which can potentially help lower total cholesterol and/or lower blood pressure.  

Ways to enjoy it: 

• Make guava jam

• Add it to a fruit salad 

• Bake it into a bread 

• Squeeze your own juice

• Create a tropical sundae 

Not only will you get your daily dose of vitamin C, but you’ll also get your fill of potassium, fiber, and other antioxidants when you eat this tasty fruit! You can eat the seeds right along with the pink guava flesh, too.  

3. Strawberries

Strawberries are pretty much the perfect fruit. Not only are they easy — and tasty — to eat, but these red berries are also super hydrating and full of vitamin C. One cup will get you to 89 milligrams — or 99% of your recommended daily value.  

Ways to enjoy it:

• Eaten whole

• Blended in a smoothie

• Dipped in your favorite chocolate

• Atop a fresh spinach salad 

Not only are strawberries chock-full of vitamin C, but these berries also have manganese along with good amounts of vitamin B9, and potassium. Thanks to the high antioxidant levels, eating strawberries on the regular may help in the prevention of a variety of health conditions like vascular disease, diabetes, and even dementia. 

4. Bell Peppers

These crunchy peppers are perfect plain or tossed atop your favorite salad. Whenever you eat more than a cup of these colorful peppers, you’ll get well over your necessary vitamin C intake. While green bell peppers are delicious, the red ones offer about 50% more vitamin C at 152 milligrams in a medium-size. 

Ways to enjoy it:

• Added to a burrito bowl 

• Seeded and eaten plain

• Diced up on a salad

• Sliced and dipped in hummus

Aside from getting plenty of vitamin C, you’ll also find bell peppers are rich in carotenoids, a type of plant pigment. Carotenoids are the orange, yellow, and red pigments in certain foods and offer health benefits like improved eye health and increased immune function.

5. Goji Berries

Looking for easy vitamin food to take on-the-go? If you don’t have time for peeling a juicy orange or slicing and dicing the above foods, try goji berries. You can take these tiny berries on the trail, in the car, or wherever you are heading. You’ll get 8 milligrams of vitamin C in three tablespoons. Plus, you’ll get some protein, too!  

Ways to enjoy it:

• Eaten plain

• Added to trail mix

• In RESTORE, our shot with goji berry powder

Aside from vitamin C, you’ll also find these tiny, bright berries are full of fiber, iron, vitamin A, and zinc. Plus, its powerful nutrient density doesn’t end there. When you eat them, you’ll get all eight essential amino acids!

6. Acerola Cherry 

The acerola cherry — AKA the Barbados cherry — is brimming with vitamin C! In fact, the edible fruit contains 1 to 4.5 percent vitamin C content (or the equivalent of 1,000 to 4,500 milligrams), which is much more than what you’ll find in a fresh orange! 

Ways to enjoy it:

• In a salsa

• Added to a smoothie

• In our IMMUNE + organic wellness shot

You can find acerola cherry in a variety of forms, including shots, juices, and in powder. The freshly-squeezed juice (like what’s in our shots!) from acerola cherries is best if you can’t locate fresh ones to eat.

7. Broccoli

Your mom has been telling you since you were a kid how good broccoli is for you. If you haven’t included this tasty veggie into your diet for its delicious factor, perhaps its nutrient profile will do the trick. Not only does just a half cup contain 57% of your recommended daily value, but it has niacin, zinc, potassium, folate, iron, calcium, and more. 

Ways to enjoy it:

• Steamed with sea salt

• Roasted with lemon and garlic

• Drizzled with olive oil and grilled

• Roasted with parmesan cheese

While our list of foods high in vitamin C is mostly fruits, consider adding nutrient-rich broccoli to your diet to reap its health benefits. Fun fact: One report found that Americans actually eat quite a bit of it. The average person downs about six pounds of broccoli annually! 

8. Sea Buckthorn Berry 

The bright orange sea buckthorn berry is so full of vitamin C that it may be your new go-to come cold and flu season. A half cup of these berries offers 400 milligrams of vitamin C! You can drink sea buckthorn berries in teas, shots, or juices, depending on your preference.

Ways to enjoy it:

• Squeezed into a juice

• Dried and added to trail mix

• Freshly-juiced in a POTENT-C shot

Looking to brighten your skin? Check out products with sea buckthorn berry. It’s often found in skincare products as the high levels of vitamin C brighten the skin.

9. Lemons

Pucker up! These yellow fruits — peel and all — offer 92% of your daily value of vitamin C. Whether you’re using it for lemonade or squeezing and zesting it into a stir fry, you can use nearly all of this fruit. Just watch out for those pesky, slippery seeds!  

Ways to enjoy it:

• Nearly all of our shots have lemon!

• As a homemade lemon sorbet 

• Sliced up and added to your water 

• Zested and added to stir-fries with ginger

Blood pressure a bit too high? Try a lemon. One study revealed women who walked  and consumed one lemon daily had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t. 

Want to add some lemon to your diet? Nearly all of our shots have lemon in them! Try our RAINBOW pack to enjoy the perks of vitamin C in a variety of ways! 

Increase Your Immunity With Vitamin C Rich Foods 

 

Now that you know what foods are high in vitamin c, it’s time to go shopping!

Add this produce variety to your shopping list and not only will you get your daily dose of vitamin C, but you’ll enrich your diet with a ton of different vitamins and minerals. Plus, you may just find creative new recipes you love! 

Whether you’re looking to brighten your skin, maintain your bone health, or just keep the sniffles away, vitamin C is the answer. Not only will it keep your immunity up, but thanks to the variety of nutrients in each of these foods, you’ll feel healthier, too. 

For vibrant health, keep on eating your vitamin C! 

Need a vitamin C boost while you’re on-the-go? Check out organic wellness shots IMMUNE + and POTENT-C to get you your daily dose of vitamin C!