With winter well and truly upon us and a good two months more of cold weather to come, it’s more than likely our bodies will be fighting off their fair share of colds and flu.

Vitamin C plays many important roles within your body; one of them is being an important part of your immune system. Studies have shown that adequate vitamin C intake prior to contracting an infection may reduce the length or severity of your cold or flu.

Rather than popping a vitamin C pill when you feel symptoms coming on, just be a little more strategic about your daily fruit and vegetable choices. Not only will regular fruit and vegetable consumption give your body plenty of vitamin C but they’ll provide it with lots of other helpful vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals as well; something a supplement will never do.

Here are my top 10 fruit and vegetable choices to boost your intake of vitamin C:

Red Capsicum – It’s fantastic roasted and added to salads or sandwiches, cut into sticks and dipped, or as an addition to curries and stir fries. It’s a great addition to my Lemon, Rosemary & Mustard Chicken.

Broccoli – Great steamed, stir fried or added to curries, soups or stews. Try my Stir Fried Garlic Greens for a tasty way to eat broccoli and other green vegetables.

Brussels Sprouts – Brussels sprouts are great with bacon! They are also great steamed or char-grilled as well. Here’s some Brussels sprouts recipes to try over at www.taste.com.au, my favourite recipe website.

Bok Choy – This Asian vegetable, along with its cousin pak choy, is great steamed and served with pan fried salmon and a ginger soy dressing. You can also add it to chicken soup, Asian style broth, laksa, stir-fries and heaps more!

Spinach – Spinach has to be my all time favourite green leafy vegetable. I put it in pretty much anything. Baby spinach gets added to salads, sandwiches, wraps, risottos, pastas, green smoothies,

Strawberries – You don’t have to ask me twice to eat more strawberries! I love them! Throw them on your breakfast cereal, have them with some yoghurt for a snack, dip them in dark chocolate for an indulgent dessert and so much more. I know it’s not summer but I’m pretty sure you’ll love these Summer Berry Tarts!

Kiwi fruit – Great in smoothies, fruit salads, with yoghurt or on it’s own for an easy, portable snack.

Oranges – I like an orange or two as part of my green smoothie, cut into rings or quarters for a snack or thrown into a green salad with feta, avocado and walnuts. Mmmmmm.

Tomatoes – Tomatoes are great in so many dishes. Chop them up with basil and red onion for bruschetta, make your own passata sauce, add them to scrambled eggs, pasta dishes, curries, sandwiches, wraps and so much more. I love grape tomatoes in My Lemon, Tomato and  Basil Pasta

Lemons – I enjoy lemon juice as a salad dressing, drizzled over steamed spinach or vegetables, on pancakes with a tsp sugar, in a lemon drink with hot water and honey or just squeezed into cold water for a refreshing drink first thing in the morning.

Want fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to your door so you’ve got them fresh every single day? Check out the local family owned business, Vegies to Your Door. They deliver the freshest fruit and vegetables in Canberra, with the greatest customer service around! Try them for yourself and see how fresh the produce really is! Don’t forget to tell them I sent you!