Foods High in Vitamin C
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We all know vitamin C is great for your health and overall immunity. Find out what you can include in your diet to get your daily portion of vitamin C.
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List of foods high in Vitamin C
Vitamin C has such a wide range of benefits and plays an important role in so many parts of our body. These include assisting with production of white blood cells to help the immune system to fight infections, and acting as an antioxidant to fight free radicals that cause cell damage. Vitamin C is also essential for collagen formation that is important for the growth and repair of tissues, joints, muscles, bones, skin, as well as wound healing.
Vitamin C helps the body to better absorb non-heme iron, that comes from plant foods such as beans and spinach. Dietitian Mascha Davis explains in her book Eat your Vitamins, that vitamin C converts plant-based iron into a form more easily taken by the body. This is helpful for vegetarians who don’t consume iron from meat sources.
Vitamin C is also needed to use macronutrients such as fats, proteins and carbohydrates more efficiently.
Getting your intake of vitamin C on the regular is essential for good health because your body doesn’t produce it on its own. It also doesn’t store it to use later. When we think of vitamin C, we instantly think of oranges. The good news is that vitamin C is in so many other foods.
In fact, Davis explains that taking vitamin C as a supplement may cause it to be absorbed and used less efficiently in your body than if you get it from whole foods. “This is likely due to the fact that the best natural sources of vitamin C, fruits and vegetables are also high in many other beneficial compounds and nutrients, such as numerous phytochemicals, which work to boost its action. If you want to boost your vitamin C, instead of a supplements, choose brightly coloured fruits and vegetables and try to eat at least two fruits and four to six vegetables each day.”
Dietitian Clare Keating says, “Most adults need about 75-90 mg of vitamin C every day. But if you smoke, have certain medical conditions, or are going through a stressful period, you might need more, due to the oxidative stress such situations can create. You can safely take up to 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day without any major problems.”
We explore the foods that are high in vitamin C. As the National Institute of Health (NIH) notes, fortunately, many of these, such as fruits and vegetables, are usually enjoyed raw.
List of vitamin C rich citrus foods
Citrus foods
We will start with the most popular form of vitamin C that comes in citrus fruits as they are so sweet, juicy and delicious. These include oranges, mandarins, kiwifruit, lemons and grapefruit. For example, one medium orange gives you 70mg of vitamin C which almost meets the daily requirement.
Grapefruit juice can provide even more, with ¾ cup providing 70mg. One medium kiwifruit can give you 64mg.
Citrus fruits are also rich in other nutrients such as, flavonoids, and fibre. Apart from providing the fruits with their bright colours, flavonoids protect the cells against the damage of free radicals and can reduce inflammation, providing therapeutic benefits against certain diseases. It is also suggested that flavonoids contribute to improved gastrointestinal functioning and health.
Citrus foods also provide fibre, including soluble fibre to help lower LDL cholesterol and help slow the absorption of sugar, leading to more stable blood sugar levels. Insoluble fibre from the fruit can help relieve constipation by helping food move more efficiently through digestive system and increases stool bulk.
Guava
One medium guava provides a big 126 mg of vitamin C, which will help you receive more than your recommended daily intake. Research has reported antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory benefits of this fruit.
Papaya
Papaya is another fruit that can provide more vitamin C than an orange. One small papaya can provide 90mg.
Strawberries
Half a cup of strawberries provides 50mg vitamin C. Nutrition Australia report that they also contain fibre, beneficial for the bowels and a variety of phytochemicals, plant nutrients, which protect cells against damage and disease.
Red peppers
Red peppers are the vegetable containing the highest levels of vitamin C, with half cup of raw red peppers providing 90mg of vitamin C. Half cup of green peppers provides 60mg of vitamin C.
Vitamin A can be found in vegetables with beta-carotene such as red and green peppers, as Nutrition Australia reports, which also play an antioxidant role like vitamin C.
Brussels sprouts
A cooked ½ cup of this vegetable can provide 48mg vitamin C.
Tomato juice
Three quarters cup of tomato juice can give you 33 mg of vitamin C, one raw medium tomato provides 17mg vitamin C. Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. BreastCancer.org reports that studies suggest people who eat a lot of tomato products have a lower risk of certain diseases such as cancer of the lungs, prostate, and stomach.
Broccoli
Half cup of boiled and drained broccoli provides 39 mg vitamin C. One study reported that broccoli contains high levels of vitamins, antioxidants, and anticarcinogenic compounds.
Potatoes
One baked medium potato can provide 17 mg vitamin C. Another nutritional benefit of potatoes is potassium, an electrolyte maintains the function of the heart, muscles, and nervous system, reports UC Davis Health. It also writes that potato skin contains fibre for digestive health, and that generally, the darker the potato, the more antioxidants it contains. These include sweet potatoes which are also a great source of vitamin A for immune and eye health.
Cooking vitamin C foods
The way you cook such foods impact the amount of vitamin C you get out of it. As the NIH states, vitamin C content of food may be lost through cooking and prolonged storage because ascorbic acid is water soluble and destroyed by heat. To help retain as much vitamin C in your foods, steaming or microwaving may help.
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