16 of the Best Vitamin C Recipes to Beat the Common Cold (2024)

FAQs

How much vitamin C should I take to fight off a cold? ›

The likelihood of success may vary from person to person. Some people improve, while others do not. Taking 1000 to 2000 mg per day can be safely tried by most people. Taking too much can cause stomach upset.

Taking vitamin C every day to try to prevent colds won't protect most people from colds. It only slightly shortens the amount of time that they're ill. Starting to take vitamin C once you already have cold symptoms won't have any effect on your cold.

Kakadu plums. The Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) is an Australian native superfood containing 100 times more vitamin C than oranges. It has the highest known concentration of vitamin C of any food, containing up to 2,907 mg per 100 grams (g).

The bottom line. Immunity support products like Emergen-C typically contain several different vitamins and minerals. Although they're intended to help boost your immune system, there's not a lot of evidence that they're effective at preventing illness.

Although many people take Emergen-C to prevent or shorten a cold, the scientific evidence showing it works is minimal. There's also mixed research about vitamin C's effectiveness in preventing or treating colds in the general population. If you still decide to take Emergen-C, keep it to one serving daily.

Whether its tea, warm water with lemon or broth, drinking warm liquids can be soothing, prevent dehydration and ease congestion. Avoid salty foods, alcohol, coffee and sugary drinks, which can be dehydrating. Ice chips are another simple way to stay hydrated and calm a scratchy throat. Gargle with salt water.

However, some studies have found that taking vitamin C before cold symptoms start may shorten the length of time you have symptoms. Vitamin C may benefit people at high risk of colds due to frequent exposure — for example, children who attend group child care during the winter. Echinacea.

There is no guarantee that zinc will help you feel better faster. In some studies, zinc did nothing to shorten how long people with colds felt bad. In other studies, zinc may have shortened symptoms by a few days. But the side effects from taking zinc can be uncomfortable or serious in some cases.

Vitamins C and D, zinc, and Echinacea have evidence-based efficacy on these immune system barriers. This review includes 82 eligible studies to consider the preventive role of these nutrients in immune clusters and in CC to provide advice on dosage and assumption of these nutrients.

Are bananas high in vitamin C? ›

Bananas are Respectable Sources of Vitamin C

You may not associate bananas with vitamin C but a medium-sized banana will provide about 10% of your daily vitamin C needs.

Sources of Vitamin C

Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of vitamin C to the American diet [8]. Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe (see Table 2) [8,12].

Place maple syrup powder, dried citrus zests, ginger, and vitamin C in a small food processor or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. If using a clean coffee grinder, add powder and tangerine segments into a small food processor and grind into a fine powder once more. Place in an airtight container.

Do not add too much vitamin C at the same time but should be divided into 3-4 times Drink/day at different times Avoid taking vitamin C at night before going to bed, because it can cause stimulation, excitement leading to insomnia.

Taking more than 2000 mg daily is possibly unsafe and may cause kidney stones and severe diarrhea. In people who have had a kidney stone, taking amounts greater than 1000 mg daily increases the risk of getting more kidney stones. When applied to the skin: Vitamin C is likely safe for most people.

In herpes labialis, oral ascorbate-bioflavonoid complex (1000 mg water-soluble bioflavonoids and 1000 mg vitamin C in equal increments five times daily at first onset and continued 3 days) reduces outbreak of vesiculation and prevents disruption of vesicular membranes.

The upper limit for all adults is 2,000 mg a day. Although too much dietary vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful, large doses of vitamin C supplements might cause: Diarrhea. Nausea.

According to the NIH, children between the ages of 1–3 years should not take more than 400 mg/day of vitamin C, children 4–8 years should not take more than 650 mg/day and children between 9–13 years should not exceed 1,200 mg/day.