Vitamin C has never been proven to cure the common cold . Still, it's a must-have nutrient: It's essential for the growth and repair of numerous body tissues, and it helps the body make collagen, the protein necessary in the creation of skin,
tendons, ligaments and blood vessels.
The only downside? Vitamin C is water-
soluble, which means your body doesn’t
make or store it. Up your intake by
noshing on these foods, all of which have more vitamin C than an orange (which packs 98 milligrams).
Yellow Bell Peppers
These veggies are colorful, crunchy, and
incredibly low-cal—and a half-cup of
chopped peppers packs 155 milligrams of vitamin C. That's way more than
the recommended daily intake of 75
milligrams.
Papaya
Each half of a large papaya provides an
impressive 238 milligrams of vitamin C.
As an added bonus, the fruit's also a
good source of vitamin A and fiber.
Guava
Nothing says summer like a tropical
fruit–and this one packs an incredible
377 milligrams of vitamin C per cup.
That's five times your recommended
daily intake!
Kale
Since kale is usually a base for salads,
you end up using enough of it to get
more vitamin C than oranges pack: Each
two-cup serving boasts 150 milligrams of the antioxidant—not to mention 684
milligrams of potassium and nearly
seven grams of fiber.
Strawberries
To be fair, a cup of sliced strawberries
has about the same amount of vitamin C
as a medium-sized orange: 98
milligrams.
