Skip Vitamin C Supplements and do THIS Instead

There’s no doubt boosting your vitamin C levels can help you stay healthier this winter.

But there IS doubt about whether you need to take a supplement to get enough vitamin C to make an impact.

Today, I’ll answer that question for you once and for all…

Supplements are helpful when you can’t get the nutrients you need through food alone.

But when it comes to vitamin C, most people can skip the supplement aisle and head straight to the produce department.

Once there, look for a fuzzy, green, oval-shaped fruit.

I’m talking about the delicious and all-too-often overlooked kiwi, of course.

In a randomized, crossover study, researchers investigated the impact of eating two kiwi fruits daily for six weeks.

The study included healthy men from 25 to 60 without type 1 or type 2 diabetes or glucose intolerance and whose BMI (body mass index) was from 20 to 37 kg/m.

The guys eating kiwi had more than DOUBLE the intake of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), at 256 daily, compared to 106 mg per day in those not eating kiwi.

This resulted in higher urinary vitamin C concentrations, at 48 mg/day in the kiwi group, compared to 32 mg/day.

As a bonus, the kiwi group also got far more dietary fiber.

Obviously, these are benefits we could all use. But there was some concern that kiwi’s glucose and fructose content could essentially cancel out those pluses.

The good news is that WASN’T the case.

In fact, eating the kiwi DIDN’T significantly impact factors like glycemic control, fructose-induced lipogenesis (fat formation), inflammation, or other metabolic markers.

And because the fruit SIGNIFICANTLY increases vitamin C, it eliminates the need for supplementation.

Not a big kiwi fan? Plenty of other foods can boost vitamin C, including broccoli, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

But if you’re looking for a sweeter solution that won’t harm your health, reach for a tasty kiwi.

P.S. 3 ways to BEAT the flu this winter.

SOURCE:

Mishra, S., et al., “Effects of Daily Ingestion of Two SunGold Kiwifruit for 6 Weeks on Metabolic and Inflammatory Biomarkers: A Randomized, Cross-Over, Exploratory Intervention Study.” Foods 2023, 12, 4236. doi. org /10.3390/foods12234236