Rich Food Sources of Vitamin C

Rich Food Sources of Vitamin C
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How Much Vitamin C Do I Need?

The National Academy of Sciences lists these daily recommendations for vitamin C:

  • Newborns to 6 months, 40 mg
  • 6 months to 1 year, 50 mg
  • 1-3 years, 15 mg
  • 4-8 years, 25 mg
  • 9-13 years, 45 mg
  • 14-18 year old males, 75 mg
  • 14-18 year old females, 65 mg
  • 18 year old pregnant females, 75 mg
  • 18 year old breastfeeding females, 115 mg
  • 19 year old and up old males, 90 mg
  • 19 year old and up females, 75 mg
  • 19 year old and up pregnant females, 85 mg
  • 19 year old and up breastfeeding females, 120 mg

Fruit

If asked what fruit has the most vitamin C, the average person would answer orange, but in reality, the answer is papaya. In fact, papaya has more vitamin C than any other food, delivering a whopping 313% of daily nutritional needs in a single juicy 118 calorie serving. In addition, papaya is packed with 30% of the recommended daily allowance for folate, 20% of potassium and fiber needs, 15% of vitamins A & E, and 10% of vitamin K.

So is orange the number two best source of vitamin C? Not even close. Strawberries are the next fruit source richest in vitamin C, delivering 136% of daily needs in every sweet, delicious 46 calorie serving, plus 20% of manganese, almost 15% of daily fiber and 5-10% of a long list of other nutrients including 3 different B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and copper.

Oranges rank number three on the fruit list, with 61 calories and 116% of daily recommended vitamin C intake plus 12% of fiber and 5-10% of folate, vitamin B1, potassium, vitamin A, and calcium.

Cantaloupes rank next with 113% of vitamin C and 103% of vitamin A, 15% of potassium, 10% of vitamin B6 and small amounts of vitamin B3, dietary fiber, and folate in a 56 calorie serving.

Kiwifruit comes in next with 95% of vitamin C, plus 10% of daily fiber and small amounts of potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin E packed into 46 calories to round off the list of fruits most rich in vitamin C.

Other fruits considered good sources of vitamin C are lemons with 55%, raspberries with 50%, pineapple with 39%, watermelon with 24%, and cranberries with 10%.

Vegetables

Coming in just under papaya at the top of the list are red bell peppers. These savory veggies really pack a punch with 291% of the daily recommended vitamin C intake in only 25 calories. Get extra value for each bite with 104% of vitamin A, 11% of vitamin B plus 5-10% of dietary fiber, molybdenum, vitamin K, manganese, folate, and small amounts of potassium, vitamins B1 and E, tryptophan, and copper. If you’re not a fruit lover, a tasty fajita easily delivers all the vitamin C needed for the day.

A serving of broccoli has 295% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and is an excellent source of vitamin K (194%), vitamin A (45%), folate (23%), and dietary fiber (23.5%). A long list of additional nutrients includes manganese, tryptophan, potassium, protein, B vitamins, potassium, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, and vitamin E. At less than 44 calories a serving, broccoli is one of the best foods you can put in your body.

Brussels sprouts have 161% of the vitamin C daily allowance and 273.5% of vitamin K, and are a very good source (11-25%) of folate, vitamin A, manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin B1, and a rich source (5-10%) of tryptophan, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, phosphorus, protein, magnesium, vitamin E, copper, copper, and calcium. That’s 61 calories of seriously good for you food.

Cauliflower is another excellent source of vitamin C, delivering about 90% of the daily needs along with 14% of vitamin K, 13.6% of folate, 13.4% of dietary fiber, 6-10% of vitamins B6 and B5, tryptophan, omega 3 fatty acids, and manganese, plus small amounts of potassium, protein, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, and B3, and magnesium, all in just 30 calories per serving.

Kale is a 36-calorie powerhouse of nutrition with 88% vitamin C, plus 1327% vitamin K, 192% of vitamin A, 27% of manganese, 5-10% of dietary fiber, copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B2, and protein and small amounts of vitamin B1, folate, phosphorus, and vitamin B3.

Other vegetables considered excellent sources of vitamin C are turnip greens with 65%, cabbage and swiss chard with 50%, or asparagus and spinach with 30%. These values are calculated for cooked vegetables.

Cooking

Eating fruits and vegetables raw or lightly cooked is important to preserve the value of the vitamin C content. Heat breaks down the vitamin C, so the closer the fruits and vegetables are to raw, the better.

During quick cooking processes like stir-frying, about 25% of vitamin C is lost. Longer cook times destroy more of the vitamin C. There are dozens of supplements on the market, but food sources of vitamin C deliver additional vitamins and minerals, other nutrients, dietary fiber and old fashioned culinary satisfaction along with your daily serving. Eating a diet high in the healthy foods on this list is recommended by the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and virtually every health provider on earth.