We learn from a young age that vitamin C is important for our health. It’s recognized as boosting your immune system. Feeling like you are getting a cold? Eat an orange to boost your vitamin C. But, many of the foods we associate with vitamin C (such as oranges) are not keto friendly. Can you get enough vitamin C on keto?
What Vitamin C Does
Today is Vitamin C Day. It’s a day to reflect on the importance of this vitamin and whether you are getting enough of it. What does it do? It can reduce your blood pressure and risk of heart disease. Vitamin C lowers your risk of gout. It keeps your skin healthy and helps you heal from wounds. And, if you are someone who truly eats no fresh fruits or vegetables, vitamin C can keep you from getting scurvy. It is an important part of healthy living.
Can You Get Enough Vitamin C on Keto?
Men should have about 90 mg of vitamin C a day. Women should have 75 mg. Our bodies don’t make it naturally, so we have to get it from the foods we eat. One of the criticisms of keto is that you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals.
Imagine my surprise when I read the foods that have significant amounts of vitamin C. Red pepper, for example, has 95 mg in a half a cup. So, enough for an entire day. But, they contain carbs, right? Yep. A whole 3 grams of net carbs in a half a cup. You can easily work that into your meals and stay on keto.
There are other vegetables that are high in vitamin C and are keto-friendly. Green pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower, just to name a few. We eat all of these vegetables regularly while we are on keto. I guess there’s no scurvy making its way into our house!
Can I Supplement My Vitamin C on Keto?
This seems like a simple answer. Of course, you can take supplements on keto. BUT! Make sure you read the non-medical ingredients. When I looked up supplements on Google, it came back with 3 top options.
Jamieson Gummies was the first suggestion. I’m sure they taste good, because they contain sugar. The non-medical ingredients contained both sucrose and glucose syrup. Jamieson chewables was the second option. They also contained sugar – dextrose and sucralose. Wait, aren’t you taking vitamins to improve your health? I guess the motivation for that has to be to take in sugar.
The best option I found in my quick search was Webber Naturals. You just swallow these as pills. No chewing, no sweet treat, just swallow and get your vitamin C. No big deal, if you know to look at the non-medical ingredients, but there is another catch. Many of these bottles have the non-medical ingredients on the inside of the label. That means you have to peel away the label to find what’s in them. Stores will frown on you doing this, so be sure to do your research before you head out to buy them.
How Much Vitamin C Is Too Much
When you look at what health professionals recommend (75-90 mg a day) compared to some of the supplements out there (250 – 1,000 mg), you have to wonder how much is too much. Well, your body will just stop using any extra vitamin C and flush it out, so it’s not a big deal. If you take more than 1,000 mg a day, you may experience stomach issues. It won’t do you any lasting harm, but it won’t be pleasant either.
Once again, we are overcompensating for something that we can easily get naturally if you just eat fresh vegetables that are keto friendly. So, stop worrying about it and just keep doing what you are doing. If you’re eating vegetables on keto, you should be fine without the vitamin C supplements. And, they taste delicious – without sugar!
Wendy
