If you’re looking for a nutrient that supports your immune system, fights inflammation, and even helps your skin age more gracefully, then you must get your hands on some vitamin C. Yes, the vitamin that is the shining star of citrus fruits can do wonders when it comes to supporting your overall health. And while the vitamin C you get from popping a pill appears to be utilized and absorbed in the human body just as well as the natural form found in food, getting your daily dose of C from your diet instead of a supplement is often preferred in the medical community.
Why? A supplement only delivers that one nutrient. Eating a whole food (like an orange) not only gives you a boost of vitamin C, but it also fuels your body with other vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and beneficial compounds that play a larger role in keeping you healthy. Furthermore, food-derived vitamin C is associated with decreased incidence of numerous chronic diseases. And perhaps most importantly, isn’t biting into a juicy orange much more enjoyable than swallowing a horse pill every day? Here are 12 foods, including those yummy citrus fruits, that can help you get your fill of vitamin C.