In winter we try our best to support immunity. Nobody likes to stay home with seasonal cold or flu especially with the magic festive season coming up. Since our early childhood we know that citrus fruits are known as immunity busters so we keep buying it in order to get essential vitamin C. While citruses are definitely among healthy foods its immunity boosting properties are overestimated. Let’s seeing it in more details. Firstly, the whole concept of boosting immunity does not make much sense scientifically mainly because our immune system is so complex that it makes it too hard to boost the proper cells in the write quantity. The best thing you can do is to eat balanced nutrient-dense diet high in vitamins and antioxidants and maintain healthy gut flora. Foods high in vitamins A, B6, E, C, D, folic acids well as zinc, iron, selenium and copper are especially beneficial. While vitamin C according to some research may play role in colds prevention (yet studies are inconclusive), ironically citrus fruits are not the best source of this vitamin.
Oranges contain 69.7 mg of vitamin C per fruit or 116% of daily value. Lemons and clemintines contain less. However you might not know that yellow bell peppers are the highest in vitamin C with 341 mg or 569% DV. A cup of Kale can offer 80.4 mg of vitamin, a cup of broccoli contains 81.2 mg.
Despite the fact that vitamin C solely cannot protect you from flu it is very beneficial for you. Are citrus fruits absolute fridge essentials? I personally love to have a couple of lemons to use it in cooking yet to get vitamin C you have much better alternatives. Moreover you don’t really need to eat lemons if you caught a cold unless you are a true fan of citrus fruits. Don’t forget that boiling and storing cause vitamine C degradation so don’t keep your lemons for days and weeks.
