Food Sources for Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits and vegetables as well as animal proteins. If you eat a healthy diet, it's not difficult to get the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Men need to consume at least 90 mg of vitamin C daily and women need a minimum of 75 mg per day according to the USDA recommended daily allowances. The top fruit and vegetable sources contain more than 100 percent of the daily allowance in just one 100g serving. The vitamin C content of all the foods listed here is given as the number of milligrams of vitamin C in 100 grams of raw food.
Fruit Sources
Some of the best sources of vitamin C are fruits. Citrus fruits are well known for their vitamin C content, but they are not necessarily the best sources. An orange contains 50 mg of vitamin C per hundred grams of fruit, but guavas contain twice that amount. Kiwifruit contain 90 mg per 100 grams. Loganberry, redcurrants, papaya, strawberries are all excellent sources of vitamin C, with between 60 and 80 mg of vitamin C.
Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and tangerines are all good sources of vitamin C, containing between 30 to 50 mg of vitamin C per 100 g serving.
Melons such as cantaloupe and honeydew contain approximately 20 mg per 100 g serving. Watermelon contains 10 mg. Bananas, crabapples, persimmons, cherries, peaches and apples contain between 6-9 mg per 100 gram serving.
Vegetable Sources
Red peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, with 190 mg per 100 grams of pepper. The parsley that we use to decorate our plates contains 130 mg of vitamin C. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts have 80 to 90 mg per 100 gram serving. Cauliflower, garlic, spinach, cabbage, potato, and tomatoes are all good sources of vitamin C, with between 20 to 40 mg of vitamin C.
Carrots, avocado, asparagus, and beets all have between 5-10 mg of vitamin C per 100g.
Animal Sources
Most animal products contain some vitamin C. Since most meat is cooked, some of the vitamin C is lost in the cooking process. The amounts given here are for raw meat. The amount of vitamin C remaining in cooked meat will vary depending on the cooking method, temperature and time.
Liver contains the highest amount vitamin C, with up to 30 mg. Raw oysters contain 30 mg. Organ meats are also good sources of vitamin C. Raw milk contains vitamin C, but the pasteurized milk in the supermarkets contains only trace amounts.
Fortified Foods
Many foods are fortified with vitamin C, meaning that vitamin C. Popular orange-flavored breakfast drink mixes are often fortified to provide in excess of 100 percent of the RDA recommendation for vitamin C. Breakfast cereals, gelatin desserts and fruit snacks are all fortified with added vitamin C.
Food Preparation
The vitamin C levels listed here are for raw foods. Cooking methods make a big difference in the amount of vitamin C that remains in the food. Vitamin C levels decrease over time, so fresh or frozen vegetables are best. High levels of heat and long cooking times destroys vitamin C. Vegetables can lose 60 percent or more of their vitamin C during cooking.
How the food is cooked is also important, since vitamin C is water soluble. Vegetables cooked in large amounts of water will lose their vitamin C in the water. Steaming or microwaving vegetables in a small amount of water will reduce the amount of vitamin C lost.
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