Getting Vitamin C on a Carnivore diet may seem impossible as the Carnivore diet is based on animal products, and Vitamin C is mainly found in plant-based foods. If you can’t find good sources of Vitamin C on a Carnivore Diet, you may even face Vitamin C deficiency, which causes various disorders. This article is your ultimate guide to how to get Vitamin C on Carnivore diet from the best meat sources and avoid Scurvy. Keep scrolling to learn all the tips and tricks!
Highlights
Why Do I Need Vitamin C on a Carnivore Diet?
Vitamin C, aka Ascorbic Acid, is one of the most-needed nutrients that carry out vital functions in the human body, including the following.
Improving Immune System: Vitamin C helps produce white blood cells, which are soldiers of the immune system battling infections and diseases. It is also needed for wound healing. Learn why the Carnivore diet is the best for autoimmune disease.
Working as an Antioxidant: Functioning as a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C defends body cells from free radicals, which are unstable molecules causing oxidative stress and chronic diseases.
Synthesizing Collagen: Collagen is a protein necessary for healthy skin, bones, and connective tissue. Vitamin C is an integral part of synthesising collagen.
Boosting Iron Absorption: Vitamin C can increase iron absorption from foods.
Reducing Chronic Diseases: Vitamin C can protect the body against chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.
It's no secret that the Carnivore diet is based on animal products, which means it won't allow you to consume plant-based sources rich in Vitamin C.
If Vitamin C is this necessary for the body, what happens if there is not enough of this vitamin in the body? How can we know if we don’t have enough Vitamin C in our body? How does Vitamin C deficiency show itself? How can we get enough Vitamin C on a Carnivore diet? The following sections will tell us!
Dr. Shawn Baker:
"The carnivore diet provides all the necessary nutrients, including Vitamin C, from animal sources."
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Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms on The Carnivore Diet
As you may know, large amounts of Vitamin C are found in fruits and vegetables, including the following.
Citrus fruits (like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and lime),
Berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries),
Kiwi,
Pineapple,
Mango,
Papaya,
Melons (like watermelon and cantaloupe),
Tomatoes,
Peppers (red, green, yellow),
Broccoli,
Brussels sprouts,
Cauliflower,
Spinach,
Kale, and
Cabbage.
But if you don't consume these plant-based sources or other animal-based sources, which you'll learn later in this article, you may face Vitamin C deficiency problems, like Scurvy.
One of the issues Carnivore dieters may face is Vitamin C deficiency, which is likely to happen as the Carnivore diet is based on animal products that are not rich in Vitamin C. Actually, this deficiency is more common than you think [1].
If your body doesn’t receive enough Vitamin C, it faces problems producing enough collagen, which causes Scurvy [2]. Although it is not common, it still is a severe condition.
You may spot the symptoms of Scurvy/ Vitamin C deficiency after a few weeks to a few months of inadequate Vitamin C intake [3]. The symptoms are as follows.
Generally, it’s believed that adults need to consume about 75-90 mg of Vitamin C every day. However, since the Carnivore diet relies on animal products that don’t contain a lot of Vitamin C, the Carnivore dieters may need to look for other sources.
It’s no secret that the amount of daily Vitamin C mentioned above is general, and the healthy dosage differs depending on age, sex, and other factors such as pregnancy or breastfeeding.
So, make sure to consult a healthcare specialist before taking any supplements or making significant changes in your eating habits.
The following table shows the general amount of Vitamin C needed for males and females daily, which also considers age, pregnancy and lactation.
If you’ve checked the above table and wonder how to get enough Vitamin C on a Carnivore diet, scroll to the next section to find out.
How to Get Vitamin C on a Carnivore Diet?
Yes, I know that Vitamin C is mainly found in plant-based products, but we, the Carnivore dieters, need to find a Carnivore-friendly way to take enough Vitamin C to avoid health problems.
The following list shows some good sources of Vitamin C in animal-based foods.
Beef Liver
It is rich in Vitamin C, i.e., a 3-ounce serving of it contains about 4.5 mg of Vitamin C.
Beef Spleen
100 g of cooked beef spleen contains about 50.3 mg of Vitamin C, which provides 84% of the average recommended daily intake.
Dr. Jordan Peterson's Daughter:
"Meat, especially organ meat, contains sufficient Vitamin C to prevent deficiency."
Oysters
A 6-ounce serving of oysters can contain about 12 mg of Vitamin C.
Fish Roe
Fish eggs or roe are also rich in Vitamin C; for example, a 3-ounce serving of salmon roe can provide about 4.5 mg of Vitamin C.
Organ Meats and Bone Broth
Organ meats like heart and kidney and homemade bone broth can also contain small amounts of Vitamin C.
To know the mg of Vitamin C in meat, seafood, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs, keep scrolling to the following sections.
Organ Meat Is Rich in Vitamin C
A study published in the journal Nutrients found that participants on a Carnivore Diet who consumed organ meats did not show signs of Vitamin C deficiency over a 6-month period.
Vitamin C in Meat and Poultry
The following list shows how much Vitamin C can be found in 100 grams of different kinds of meat and poultry.
You Won't Face Vitamin C Deficiency on a Well-Planned Carnivore
According to research from the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 95% of individuals on a well-formulated Carnivore Diet had normal levels of Vitamin C after one year.
Vitamin C in Seafood
The list below shows how much Vitamin C can be found in the 100 grams of seafoods allowed on the Carnivore diet.
Vitamin C in Seafood
Clam (canned): 22.1
Fish roe (cooked): 16.4
Fish roe: 16.0
Clam: 13.0
Crab (cooked): 7.6
Crab: 7.0
Octopus: 5.0
Oyster: 4.7
Atlantic salmon: 3.9
Trout: 2.9
Shrimp: 2.2
Mackerel: 2.0
Herring: 1.0
Mackerel: 0.4
Vitamin C in Milk and Cheese
The following list displays the amount of Vitamin C found in 100 ml of different kinds of milk.
Eggs do not contain considerable amounts of Vitamin C, with large eggs containing less than 0.5 mg.
So, as you witnessed above, different kinds of meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy contain various amounts of Vitamin C. Let’s wrap up what we’ve learned so far and check out the list of the best sources of Vitamin C on the Carnivore diet.
Here are some easy and super yummy Carnivore recipes containing eggs:
A survey conducted by the Zero Carb Health community reported that 90% of respondents who followed a strict Carnivore Diet with regular consumption of liver and other organ meats maintained adequate Vitamin C levels.
The Best Sources of Vitamin C on The Carnivore Diet
The list below is your ultimate guideline on how to get Vitamin C on a Carnivore diet, as it shows the best sources of Vitamin C found in animal products.
This article tried to scrutinize on how to get Vitamin C on a Carnivore diet, so you can avoid Vitamin C on this diet. Consuming animal-based foods rich in Vitamin C, including liver, beef, and seafood, can meet your need for this essential nutrient.
Taking supplements is another way of providing the Vitamin C needed for a healthy body, but remember that you must consult a healthcare professional first to avoid disorders and illnesses.
Also, if you’re looking for delicious foods with the mentioned animal-based products, take a look at these Carnivore diet recipes.
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