4 ways to sneak in more vitamin C

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This year, as with every flu season, everyone is trying their best to steer clear of cold-causing germs. Of course, best practices are to wash your hands (20 seconds under hot water with soap), get adequate sleep, drink plenty of fluids and keep your home clean. You can also keep flu at bay by bolstering your immune system with vitamin c.
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Our bodies do not naturally produce this essential nutrient, so one of the best ways to benefit from it is by eating vitamin c-rich foods.

Strawberries
Half a cup of this fruit contains 49 milligrams or 82 percent of the recommended daily value (DV). Lucky for us, strawberry season coincides with flu season, so stock up!

Other non-citrus fruits
While oranges generally come to mind when you think vitamin C, there are also plenty of non-citrus fruits brimming with the immune-booster, and sometimes offer even more. These fruits include guava (140 percent of the DV for a single guava), kiwi (one kiwi comes in at 79 percent of the DV) and papayas (one cup provides 97 percent of the DV). Try cutting them up for a delicious cold-fighting fruit salad.

Herbs
Thyme and parsley are big vitamin C providers. In fact, fresh thyme has three times more vitamin C than oranges and two tablespoons of fresh parsley provide 11 percent of the recommended DV. Sprinkle your meal with these herbs and not only do you end up with a palate pleaser, but you’ll also benefit from the vitamin C you need to help fight flu-bearing germs.

Cabbage and sauerkraut
Red cabbage, in particular, is high in vitamin C, but when fermented into sauerkraut, you can expect the vitamin C levels to increase by more than 600 milligrams per cup!

Vitamin C is water soluble, which means our body does not store it. You want to make sure you’re getting the recommended daily dose through consuming food that contains it, and incorporating a little more into your diet when you feel a cold coming on or in the thick of flu season. Don’t let the flu get you down this season. Cheers to good health now, and year-round!