Everyone loves snacks! These lovely, tempting treats not only boost our energy levels, but also nourish our body, and provide little delights throughout our day.
However, when buying snacks, we should always go for the nutritious ones, as eating the right snacks is essential for a healthy lifestyle. These delicacies should be rich in essential nutrients like vitamin C.
Snacks rich in vitamin C are essential, as this nutrient is necessary for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones, teeth, and blood tissues.
It also plays a vital role in the function of your immune system and reduces the risk of health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and various heart diseases.
A lack of this essential nutrient in the body can lead to a vitamin C deficiency. In this article, we would discuss vitamin C-rich snacks and how you can identify them. Read up!
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin present in a wide variety of foods, mostly fruits, and vegetables. It acts as a natural antioxidant in the body and is crucial for collagen formation, neurotransmitter synthesis, immunological function, and other processes.
Including adequate vitamin C in your diet may lower your chances of developing common illnesses like heart disease. Additionally, vitamin C plays a vital role in the smooth formation of collagen, connective tissue, bones, tiny blood vessels and many others.
A lack of this essential nutrient in the body can lead to a vitamin C deficiency.
Vitamin C Rich snacks
If you're in for a healthy snack day but unsure of what to buy, here are some options to choose from;
Fruit Salsa with Kiwi and Strawberry
You can prepare this delicious fruit salsa in just a few minutes. Simply combine four cups of sliced strawberries, two huge cut-up kiwis, and half a lime juice.
This delicacy fills in your daily vitamin requirement as both strawberries and kiwis have a high vitamin C and vitamin D content.
Orange Juice
One 8-ounce glass of orange juice has over 120 milligrams of vitamin C, which is enough for one day. Orange juice is also high in potassium, folate, lutein, and vitamin A.
Whole oranges are similarly high in fibre, but most of it is lost when you consume the juice.
Moringa Oatmeal
This gluten-free and vegan dish contains a high concentration of nutrients, including 64% of the daily value of vitamin C in each serving. Moringa powder is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.
A single 0.5-ounce serving of moringa powder contains more than 25% of the daily recommended value for calcium and more than 20% of the daily recommended value for iron.
Moringa powder has more vitamin C than oranges, more beta carotene than carrots, and more potassium than bananas. It is well-known for its energy-boosting properties, and its tendency to make you feel more alive and alert.
Yoghurt and Pineapple
Combining pineapple and yoghurt creates a high-protein, high-fibre snack that will keep you content and full until your next meal.
Combining a high-fibre item, such as a fruit or vegetable, with a protein source helps keep your blood sugar constant.
Pineapple also contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that aids in the breakdown of food and can prevent bloating, whilst yoghurt has living and active cultures, which aid in the health of your digestive system.
Also, combining pineapple with yoghurt yields a nutrient-dense snack full of vitamin C, fibre, and protein.
Tips for choosing vitamin C-rich snacks
Vitamin C is found in different fruits like Citrus, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, kiwi, Brussels sprouts, guava, and strawberries.
Therefore, if you want to snack on something vitamin C-rich, all you have to do is check the ingredients used in the production of the various snacks available to see if they're good sources of vitamin C.
You can always check out companies like Chewwies, who go the extra mile to provide healthy and nutrient-rich products.
Remember that choosing the right and nutritious snack can help you get your vitamin C from various sources and also provide you with the advantages of other nutrients.
Conclusion
Vitamin C is essential for the immune system, connective tissue, heart and blood vessel health, and many other functions. Not obtaining enough of this vitamin might be harmful to your health. As a result, you should constantly aim to include this nutrient in your diet.