Vitamin C helps your body to better absorb iron – both from the iron-rich foods you eat and from iron supplements – along with all kinds of other great health benefits! In past articles, I’ve mentioned that to enhance absorption you can consume non-heme foods with a good source of Vitamin C, and you can take your iron supplement with orange, grapefruit or prune juice (note: this has been proven beneficial only with iron salt formulations).

So, to help you make the most of the iron you consume, here are 10 Vitamin C-rich foods that you can easily add to your daily diet:

Guava

One guava contains a whopping 206 mg of vitamin C.

 

Peppers

Half a cup of raw red or yellow pepper contains anywhere from 101 to 144 mg of vitamin C. If you prefer it cooked, that’s 121 to 132 mg of vitamin C so eat these peppers as you like! Prefer green? Half a cup of green pepper contains 63 mg.

 

Papaya

Great in a smoothie or on its own, half of a papaya contains an impressive 94 mg of vitamin C. This may be a lot of papaya all at once, so you could space it out throughout the day.

 

Kiwi

One large kiwifruit contains 84 mg of vitamin C.

 

Orange

Of course oranges make the list! One medium orange can contain anywhere from 59 to 83 mg of vitamin C.

 

Lychee

Treat yourself to 10 lychees for 69 mg of vitamin C.

 

Broccoli

Half a cup of cooked broccoli contains 54 mg of vitamin C.

 

Red cabbage

Whip yourself up some coleslaw using red cabbage, which contains 54 mg of vitamin C per cup.

 

Strawberries

Toss them into a smoothie or just enjoy them as is for 52 mg per half cup serving.

 

Brussels sprouts

Love ’em or hate ’em, just 4 cooked sprouts contain 38 to 52 mg of vitamin C.

 

Bon Appétit!

 

*Source: Food Sources of Vitamin C, Dietitians of Canada (http://www.dietitians.ca/Nutrition-Resources-A-Z/Factsheets/Vitamins/Food-Sources-of-Vitamin-C.aspx)