Ugh, it’s that time of year again. You can just feel it in the air, can’t you? Cold and flu season. It seems to stretch on forever, from the holidays right through to spring. Getting a flu shot is obviously a big deal for prevention, but I’m always looking for other little things I can do, you know? Ways to just give our immune systems a bit of a fighting chance.
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about Vitamin C. It’s one of those things you hear about constantly, but I never really got it until recently. It’s also called ascorbic acid, which sounds way more scientific, but it’s just this vital little nutrient that our bodies need for so much—healthy bones, skin, all of it. The wild part is that our bodies don't actually make it on their own. We have to get it from the food we eat. So yeah, I've been making sure our pantry is stocked with Vitamin C-rich stuff this fall, and here are a few of the reasons that have really stuck with me.
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Provide Immunity support. I hear the word "antioxidant" thrown around all the time, and I'm finally starting to understand what it means. It's basically like a little bodyguard for your cells, protecting them from damage. And Vitamin C is a big one. I looked up the numbers, and it seems like women need around 75 mg a day, men 90 mg, and it's a bit more if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. For the kids, it's less, like 25-45 mg depending on their age. It feels good to have a rough idea of what we're aiming for.
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Improve cardiovascular health. This one kind of blew my mind. I read somewhere that Vitamin C might help keep blood vessels relaxed, which could protect against heart issues and high blood pressure. They're not totally sure how it works, but it might have something to do with lowering inflammation. It's just a reminder that what we eat affects, well, everything.
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Fight against Anemia. Okay, this is a personal one for me. I've always struggled with being anemic, and it's a real drain. I had no idea that Vitamin C was so important for helping your body actually absorb iron. It's like it grabs onto the iron from your food and puts it in a form your body can use more easily. I saw this one study that said taking just 100mg of Vitamin C with a meal could boost iron absorption by something crazy like 67%. Now, I never take my iron supplements without making sure they have Vitamin C in them. It was a total game-changer.
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Helps in the battle with motion and travel sickness. I get hit so hard with vertigo and motion sickness; it's the worst. So when I found out that Vitamin C could help, I was all ears. I guess lemons are great for it because they have a lot of Vitamin C and some other stuff that helps with nausea. It’s why I’m never without our Motion Sickness lollipops when we travel. They're a lifesaver, seriously.
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Brighter skin. You know all those fancy skin creams you see at Sephora? Turns out they don't just put Vitamin C in there because it sounds nice! It's super important for building collagen. I used to think it was just a surface-level thing, but it can help even out your skin tone and maybe even with wrinkles. Plus, I read it can protect your skin from all the environmental junk out there. It’s pretty cool to think that eating more fruit can actually make your skin healthier from the inside out.
So, you could just grab a supplement, right? And sometimes that makes sense. But honestly, there are so many yummy foods packed with Vitamin C that it’s pretty easy to just work them into what we’re already eating.
Here’s a little list I keep in my head of some good sources:
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Guava (1 medium): 165 mg
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Strawberries (1 cup): 98 mg
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Cantaloupe (¼ medium): 95 mg
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Papaya (1 Medium): 95 mg
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Kale (1 cup): 80 mg
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Orange juice (¾ cup): 60 mg
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Broccoli (½ cup): 50 mg
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Pineapple (1 slice): 40 mg
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Mango (medium): 30 mg
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Lemon: 30 mg
For a snack that my kids actually get excited about, I make this smoothie a few times a week. It’s packed with antioxidants and all that good immunity-boosting stuff. (And if you need a dairy-free version, just swap the milk for orange juice!)
My Go-To Immunity Smoothie
Ingredients:
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¼ cup of fresh or frozen mangoes
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¼ cup of fresh or frozen strawberries
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¼ cup of fresh or frozen pineapples
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¼ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
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1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed (I sneak this in for extra fiber)
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½ cup of coconut water
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⅔ cup of milk (or a probiotic smoothie drink)
Just toss everything in a blender until it's smooth, and that’s it. It’s got over 130 milligrams of Vitamin C, plus other good stuff like calcium and fiber.
So yeah, there are a lot of reasons I've been keeping fruits and veggies in our kitchen. As we get into the thick of flu season, it just feels like one small, powerful thing I can do to help build up our family’s defenses.
It’s not magic, of course. But having this stuff in our kitchen toolbox makes me feel a little more prepared for whatever the season throws at us. It’s a little bit of peace of mind, you know?
