Are you a carnivore dieter worried about your vitamin C intake? You’re not alone! You don’t have to eat fruits or veggies to get your fix of vitamin C - you can get it from meat, too.
Many people are shocked to hear this because almost every conversation about vitamin C is centered on fruits and veggies. The mainstream dietary fallacy of no vitamin C in meat has fooled many. But there is vitamin C in animal foods like meat.
That’s good news for fans of the carnivore diet! But is there really enough vitamin C in an all-meat diet to remain healthy? And how much vitamin C do you need for optimal health, anyway? Today we’ll examine the facts on this issue to answer these vital questions, and much more.
Why Do You Need Vitamin C On The Carnivore Diet?
Your body needs vitamin C, regardless of the diet you follow. Whether you’re on a low-carb diet, a moderate-carb diet, or a high-carb diet, you need it. And the same goes for any ketovore or ketogenic diet, paleo, and a strict carnivore diet.
But it’s an essential vitamin, which means your body doesn’t produce vitamin C on its own. You need to get it from your diet or supplement it with vitamin C tablets.
What Is Vitamin C Good For?
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that offers many health benefits. It protects the body from the effects of free radicals which can damage your cells. It supports your immune system and assists in nutrient absorption and the biosynthesis of collagen. It also helps the body absorb iron and metabolize protein (crucial for meat lovers).
These are just a few of the good things vitamin C does for the human body. It’s also important for blood cell production, bone health, blood pressure regulation, and a healthy digestive system. It’s even been suggested that vitamin C influences one’s mental health.
How Much Vitamin C Do You Need On The Carnivore Diet?
Carnivores don’t need as much vitamin C simply because they don't consume as much glucose. Vitamin C and glucose compete for entry into the cell because they're so similar. So the more glucose you consume, the more vitamin C you need.
The daily vitamin C requirements are 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. Because of the restrictive nature of carnivore diets, it’s rare, but possible to have a vitamin C deficit.
1000 grams (or 2.2 lbs) of fresh muscle meat provides more than enough vitamin C to prevent a vitamin C deficiency. Add seafood and organ meats into the mix, and you’ll enjoy even higher vitamin C content.
Beef liver may contain only a fraction of the vitamin C in lemon juice, but in volume, you will get what you need from meat.
The type, quality, and quantity of your meat intake is important, though. If you eat only meat, but also restrict your food intake, you could develop deficiencies.
Symptoms Of Vitamin C Deficiency On An All-Meat Diet
Although you can get vitamin C from animal-based foods and meat, a strict all-meat diet must be carefully monitored to avoid vitamin C deficiency. Immediate signs and symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Joint pain and swelling
- Easy bruising
- Impaired immune function
- Increased risk of chronic illnesses
If left untreated, vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy.
Scurvy And Its Symptoms
Scurvy is the common name for a severe vitamin C deficiency. But it doesn’t happen overnight. People go without enough vitamin C for a couple of months, even as many as three, before showing obvious signs of the condition.
Scurvy is common among people who eat little to no fresh fruits and vegetables. However, there are other risk factors, like heavy smoking, alcoholism, and eating disorders.
Scurvy is relatively rare, but in those who develop the condition, the following symptoms are some of the most common:
- Weakness/fatigue
- Rough skin, poor wound healing, and other issues with skin health
- Easy bleeding
- Gum diseases
- Sore limbs
Scurvy is reversible and is generally treated with vitamin supplementation. But when left untreated, scurvy can lead to serious infections, and blood cell/bleeding disorders.
Best Sources Of Vitamin C For Carnivore Dieters
Just like fruits and veggies, different meats contain different amounts of vitamin C, and that means your nutrient intake will differ. The USDA’s vitamin C content list states that there are 19.7 mg of this essential vitamin in 1 serving/6 slices of 98% fat-free beef pastrami, while 3 oz of pork will give you 11.9 mg.
Fresh meat contains slightly more vitamin C than dried meat or meat cooked at very high temperatures. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. Drying out meat can significantly lower the vitamin C content. Beef jerky is a great carnivore diet snack, but try to stick to mostly fresh meat for maximum vitamin C intake.
Vitamin C is also sensitive to some of the steps in the processing of meats. So don’t rely on processed foods for your vitamin C content. That doesn’t mean you can never eat them, but they shouldn’t be the sole type of meat you eat.
Organ meat is an excellent source of vitamin C. These are the internal organs of the animals we consume for meat. Examples of organ meats include the liver and kidneys.
It can also sometimes refer to other internal parts of the animal besides the fresh meat. Examples are bones and marrow, intestines and stomach lining, and even the pancreas (used in sweetbreads).
The foods richest in vitamin C from amongst these animal protein products per 100 grams are:
- Beef Spleen - 45 to 50 mg depending on the preparation method
- Veal Spleen - 41 mg
- Veal Lungs - 39 mg
- Beef Lungs - 32.7 to 38.5 mg depending on the preparation method
- Lamb lungs - 31 mg
- Pork spleen - 28.5 mg
- Pork liver - 23.6 to 25.3 mg depending on the preparation method
- Chicken liver -17.9 to 27.9 depending on how it's prepared
- Turkey liver - 24.5 mg
- Lamb spleen - 23 mg
- Canned clams - 22.1 mg
Seek out these organ meats at your local butcher, and learn how to make your own bone broth. One cup of bone broth offers 6 mg of vitamin C.
People Who May Vitamin C Supplements On The Carnivore Diet
Everyone needs the essential nutrient vitamin C to sustain their health, but do some people have higher vitamin C requirements? Actually, yes! Here are some examples.
1. Alcohol Consumers
Do you enjoy relaxing with a cold beer after a day of hard work? Perhaps you like drinking a glass of wine with your food? You may need more vitamin C.
Moderate alcohol consumption is rarely an issue on the meat diet, but regular or heavy alcohol use can be a big problem. Alcohol can deplete your body’s vitamin C levels, putting you at risk of vitamin C deficiency.
2.Smokers
Smoking can also deplete vitamin C in the body. If you’re a regular smoker and don’t want to give that up, you’ll need some extra vitamin C to avoid developing this deficiency and becoming ill. Guidelines for smokers recommend an additional 35 mg daily.
3. Pregnant And Lactating Women
Vitamin C supplementation may assist with some of the issues related to hormonal fluctuations during menstruation. Pregnant women generally need up to 85 mg and lactating women need up to 120 mg more than the RDA.
Final thoughts
Does meat contain enough vitamin C to support good health? Yes, if you choose the right meats in the right amounts. Fail to do this, and you risk developing a severe vitamin C deficiency and other potentially harmful nutrient deficiencies.
It’s essential to take a healthy approach to an all-meat diet. With good meal planning, your vitamin C levels will be high enough.
Don’t stress about vitamin C on a carnivore diet if you eat a variety of meats, including organ meats. If you have a higher need for vitamin C, supplementation can help.
