10 Foods High in Vitamin C Complex

There are practically a million reasons why Vitamin C is an important nutrient for our bodies. On the cellular level, Vitamin C helps bind our cells together to prevent invasion of hostile organisms like viruses and bacteria. Vitamin C helps our immune system protect us from colds and flus, and those of us with seasonal allergies. From the rebuilding of tissue, bones and blood vessels, to boosting our ability to synthesize calcium and other essential minerals, Vitamin C is something we all could use a little more of in our diets. The list of benefits could go on forever, but the main thing is to find sources that will work for our body.

Here is a short list of 10 common foods that can be a good complete source of Vitamin C complex. Remember, most fruits and vegetables today are grown in soils that have been depleted of their minerals and sprayed with toxic pesticides, so choose organic when possible, and it doesn't hurt to add a supplement made from non-synthetic natural sources.

1. Acerola Cherry - This amazing treat holds about 65x the amount of Vitamin C than an orange.

2. Citrus Fruits - You can't have a list of Vitamin C sources without having citrus fruits listed. These include the usual oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes.

3. Dark Leafy Greens and Broccoli - Kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, watercress, chard and spinach (as well as most other leafy greens) are all great Vitamin C foods to add to your diet.

4. Strawberries - Not only do they provide a good source of Vitamin C, but they also give you a good source of fiber and antioxidants.

5. Bell Peppers - These are another food high in Vitamin C, as well as beta carotene. Just one large red bell pepper contains 283mg of c complex.

6. Tomatoes - Just one serving of 100 grams holds over 100 mg of Vitamin C.

7. Papayas - Great source of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Great addition to any fruit smoothie.

8. Blackcurrant - High source of Vitamin C as well as plenty of potassium, iron, vitamin B5 and phytochemicals.

9. Kiwi - Has more Vitamin C than an orange and as much potassium as a banana.

10. Herbs - Fresh herbs such as cilantro, chives, thyme, basil and parsley are high in Vitamin C.

11. Guava - I've added this one as a bonus as it is usually always difficult to find at my local markets, but one serving contains a whooping 165mg.

When selecting a supplement try and find one that was made with a natural botanical Vitamin C formula with no synthetic ascorbic acid or calcium ascorbate. Many of the vitamin supplements you see on the shelves are in their synthetic form. Also, our body doesn't necessarily want the ascorbic acid, but rather it wants the C complex that is protected by it. The C complex is so much more important than the ascorbic acid.

So there you have it, ten (make that eleven!) great natural whole food vitamin c sources.