How to include Spices and Herbs with Vitamin C in your diet
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A list of herbs and spices high in vitamin C that you can take everyday without any effort or dietary changes.
It is a common conception that Vitamin C is good to alleviate cold symptoms so eating oranges or Vitamin C supplement helps !
There is however a conflicted view on this as there is not enough evidence to confirm whether Vitamin C is an effective natural remedy for cold.
But there is enough evidence gathered by experts to classify vitamin C as one of the safest and most effective nutrients in foods that is available for daily consumption.
This is post I write list herbs high in vitamin C and the recommended daily intake along with other foods naturally rich in vitamin C and nutrients that you can take everyday without any effort or dietary changes.
What Is Vitamin-C Good For And Why Do We Need It
Vitamin C, scientifically known as Ascorbic acid is a water soluble vitamin.
This means that vitamin C does not get stored in your body unlike other vitamins. Therefore you need a good intake of Vitamin C to maintain an adequate level.
Ensuring a daily consumption of Vitamin C has been proved to be beneficial to help our bodies fight against inflammation and heal wounds.
Being water soluble it helps the kidneys remove sodium and water from the body and lower blood pressure.
It also helps to prevent skin wrinkles ( ladies, take note) and give your skin and hair a healthy glow.
One of the most important benefits of Vitamin C is the ability to build a strong immune system.
Your best defense against ailments is to safeguard your body. Maintaining a daily intake of Vitamin C will help you do just that.
What Is The Daily Vitamin-C Dose
The Vitamin C recommended daily intake is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
It is hard to convert milligrams to teaspoon but just for reference sake all you need is less than 1/4 tsp of Vitamin C everyday.
Now is that not easy and so doable?!
Best Spices And Herbs With Vitamin C
Adding or supplementing vitamins into your daily diet may seem a bit of a task and an ask. But your body needs just the required amount of vitamin C everyday to maintain a healthy system.
This becomes even easier when it is a simple ingredient that needs to be added in your food just like you add salt.
Here is a list of top 10 spices and herbs with vitamin C with the highest amount of corresponding recommended daily allowance or RDA per 100 gm of each spice or herb.
Keep in mind though that you are adding different types of ingredients rich in vitamin C to get your daily allowance.
1. Fresh Thyme
2. Fresh Dill
3. Saffron
4. Chilli pepper or Cayenne pepper
5. Bay leaf
6. All Spice
7. Sage
8. Peppermint
9. Turmeric
10. Rosemary
Table Of Top 10 Spices And Herbs With Vitamin C And Cooking Uses
Name of Spices and Herbs | Vitamin C per 100 gm (% RDA compared to Normal Recommended Allowance of upto 90 mg ) | Practical Usage in daily life (% RDA) | Ideas for Cooking Use |
---|---|---|---|
Fresh Thyme | 160.1 mg (267%) | 1.28 mg per 1 tsp (2%) | Use in marinades, flavour soups stews and sauces, season vegetables, rice, pasta, |
Fresh Dill | 85 mg (142%) | 7.57 mg per cup (13%) | Use to make risottos, salads, dips, add to vegetables, poultry and fish |
Saffron | 80.8 mg (135%) | 1.7 mg per 1 tbsp (3%) | Flavour milk products, soups, desserts, rice, sauces, curries |
Chilli and Cayenne Pepper | 76.4 mg(127%) | 4.05 mg per 1 tbsp (7%) | Add heat to any dish. |
Bay Leaves | 46.5 mg(78%) | 0.84 mg per 1 tbsp (1%) | Use to flavour broths, soups, stews and curries. Throw few leaves in while sauteing vegetables. |
All Spice | 39.2 mg(65%) | 0.74 mg per 1 tsp (1%) | Use in marinades, flavour soups stews and sauces, season vegetables. Use for pickling or making desserts. |
Sage | 32.4 mg(54%) | 0.65 mg per 1 tbsp (1%) | Use to make stuffing and rubs. Add to garnish and flavour soups or stews |
Peppermint | 31.8 mg(53%) | 1.02 mg per 1 tbsp (2%) | Add fresh peppermint to drinks, smoothies, dips and sauces. Flavour salads and fruits with mint leaves. |
Turmeric | 25.9 mg(43%) | 0.57 mg per 1 tsp (1%) | Add colour to any dish you cook such as curries, stir fries, soups or stews. Add to drinks such as milk, tea or lemonade |
Rosemary | 21.8 mg(36%) | 0.37 mg per 1 tbsp (1%) | Rosemary adds flavour to meat, poultry dishes, fish. Add them to casseroles, pies, soups and stews. Make a dry rub or use to flavour dips. |
The listed spices are combined with other food ingredients which further enhances your Vitamin C intake as well as the flavour of your dish.
There is no best time to take vitamin C as it is a continuous requirement of your body.
How Can I Get Vitamin C Naturally
What are the other vitamin C rich foods that you can eat as a snack or add the listed spices and herbs to.
Let us look at the other food sources of Vitamin C that you may already be consuming as part of your daily meal.
Vegetables high in Vitamin C
leeks, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, swiss chard, green beans, beetroot, brussel sprouts, cabbage, bell pepper, sweet potato, spinach, lettuce, onions, sweet corn, turnips, asparagus, pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumber, green or red fresh chilies
Fruits high in Vitamin C
orange, grapefruit, apple, lemon,lime, tomatoes, banana, apple,strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, mango, pineapple, cherries, kiwi, peach, apricot, nectarine, grapes, figs, pear, plums, papaya,
Legumes and grains high in Vitamin C
Soya beans, kidney beans, lentils, black beans, garbanzo beans, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, edamame, broad-beans
Seeds and nuts high in Vitamin C
sunflower needs, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, pecan, walnut, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, sesame seeds, peanuts
To Conclude
Maintaining a good or higher level of Vitamin C is one of the best nutrition for overall health.
It is one such vitamin that you need to take everyday as unlike other vitamins they are released by your body as you go around your daily life.
The good news is that it is not complicated or difficult to take Vitamin C. Almost each food source has some percentage of Vitamin C in it.
Drinking vitamin rich wellness juices and smoothies is a yummy tasty idea for a wholesome balanced goodness.
All you need to do to ensure the levels is to consciously include few of the foods with vitamin C in your daily diet.
The spices, herbs and other sources listed above are some of the best foods for Vitamin C, which if you have not already being taking you should include them more often.
Unless you are some sort of a health freak, it is not possible to keep count of your daily required servings consistently!
We all have our different ways of living with busy lifestyles.
But I am sure we can take at least one daily supplement from the foods, spices and herbs high in Vitamin C listed above as a safe, effective and easy way to keep your health blooming ….. at least most of the year!!
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