Vitamin C rich foods
Everybody knows that vitamin C is a nutrient that is vital for your good health, and if you didn't then you do now. But what foods contain vitamin C? This page is a thorough guide to foods with vitamin C in them. We provide you a full list of vitamin C rich foods, and tell you how much of the vitamin can be found in them, as well as showing you just how easy it is to get all the vitamin C that you need each day, through the best dietary sources.
Not only that, but we also explain how much vitamin C you need each day, and even provide an explanation as to what vitamin C is.
You can expect to gain all of the information that you are likely to need on high vitamin C foods, so that there is no danger of you ever lacking in what is a vitamin that is mandatory for your good health.
How much vitamin C is too much? This is also a question that you will find answered right here.
What is vitamin C?
So what is vitamin C? It is something that we all know is good for us, and obviously by it's name we can clearly see that it is a vitamin. Vitamin C is a also known as 'Ascorbic acid', and is a substance that is necessary in order for various bodily processes to take place. If you do not constantly get vitamin C into your body, then it will begin to break down, it is genuinely something that you cannot live without.
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, and this means that it can't be stored in your body, like various other vitamins and minerals can. When you consume vitamin C, whether from foods containing vitamin C, or vitamin supplements, your body will only use what it needs at the time, with the rest being passed through. This is why it is vital that you have a sufficient amount of food rich in vitamin C in your diet, so the supply is constant. Unfortunately you can't create a store for your body to draw from, by eating plenty of these vitamin C foods one day, and then none for a week.
To find out which foods have vitamin C in all you have to do is read through this page, as we will not only tell you this, but also what the best sources of vitamin C are.
It is a fact that the best way to get a sufficient amount of ascorbic acid is through eating foods with vitamin C in them. We should however point out that it is possible to get vitamin C in tablets and capsules, to be used instead of, or in addition to food with vitamin C. These should only be used if recommended by your doctor, or another health professional.
What foods have vitamin C in them?
Now that you know what vitamin C is, we are going to continue to talk about what foods have vitamin C in them. A thorough list of exact foods will be covered further down the page, whereby here we are going to point out the basic food groups for you, to give you a broad idea of what the best dietary sources of vitamin C are.
- Fruits - There are plenty of fruits high in vitamin C, guava, strawberries, oranges and papaya to name but a few.
- Vegetables - There are also many vegetables high in vitamin C, such as broccoli, peppers and turnip greens.
- Fruit juices - Orange, cranberry and tomato juices are all great vitamin C food sources.
Best source of vitamin C is without a doubt fruit, as you will see further down the page. However, vegetables and fruit juices are also loaded with ascorbic acid, and can easily combine to provide you with your daily quote of this vital vitamin.
List of foods rich in vitamin C
In this section we are going to provide you with information on 10 of the best vitamin C rich foods that you will come across. This vitamin C foods list will give you a good idea of what you should be eating in order to appease your body's vitamin C needs. If there is nothing that you like in this section, see the next one as there are loads more vit C foods to choose from.
Sweet red and green peppers
The sweet red and green peppers are an amazing source of vitamin C. From just 164 g of raw sweet red pepper, you can get 209 milligrams of vitamin C, and this works out as 232% of your RDI (recommended daily intake). If you are a fan of this pepper, or similarly the sweet green pepper, you are never going to have a problem getting all of the vitamin C that your body needs.
A large 164 g raw sweet green pepper has 132 milligrams of vitamin C, a whopping 147% of the total you need in a day.Guava fruit
The guava fruit is an amazing source of vitamin C, one of the best in the whole world. From just one 55 g guava fruit, you can get 126 milligrams of vitamin C, and that is 140% of the total you need in a day. Guava may not be a common feature in most western fruit bowls, but this is the perfect excuse to change that, as it is also loaded with various other nutrients.-
Broccoli
This green vegetable is one of the finest sources of vitamin C that you will find, and whats more it is found everywhere. A simple 180 g stalk of broccoli can get you 117 milligrams of vitamin C, and this is a huge 130% of your RDI. Broccoli is a nutritional goldmine, and you will find that it offers you so much more than just a large dose of vitamin C. Strawberries
Another good source of vitamin C is the strawberry. This is a fruit that is able to provide you with a real wealth of nutritional benefits. In a simple 144 g serving of strawberries, you can get 84.7 mg of vitamin C, and this equates to 84% of the total needed per day.Orange and orange juice
The orange, and the juice that is taken from it, are two sources of vitamin C that everybody has heard about at one point or another. If you were to eat just one 151 g Florida orange, you can get a healthy 67.9 mg of vitamin C, which is 75% of the total needed in a day. As far as orange juice goes as rich source of vitamin C, you can get 81.9 mg of vit C through a 249 g glass of chilled orange juice from concentrate. This works out at 91% of the total needed in a day.Papaya
As far as foods that contain vitamin C go, the papaya is another brilliant example. from a 152 g papaya, you can get yourself 93.9 mg of vitamin C, which is 104% of your RDI.Pineapple
Yes you guessed it, another fruit here that acts as one of the best vitamin C sources. You can get 78.9 mg of vitamin C from a 165 g cup of pineapple chunks. This is 88% of all that you need in a single day.Kiwi fruit
Didn't we say that vitamin C food sources revolved around fruit? Well here is another fine example in the kiwi fruit. In a large 91 g kiwi fruit, without it's skin, you can get 84.4 mg of vitamin C, a massive 94% of the total you should be getting in a day.Brussel sprouts
Brussel sprouts might not be everyone's favorite vegetable, especially if you are a kid, but they have a deserved mention when it comes to good sources of vitamin C. In just 100 g of boiled brussel sprouts, you can get 62 milligrams of vitamin C, 69% of your RDI.Mango
When talking about foods high in vitamin C, you have to give the mango a mention. In this delicious tropical fruit you can get loads of this important vitamin. To be precise you are able to take 57.3 milligrams of vitamin C from a 207 g mango, making up 64% of your daily vitamin C need.
These foods that have vitamin C in them are by no means the exact ten richest sources, however they are mainly foods that are widely available and thus easy to include in your diet.
More foods high in vitamin C
Here are a load more foods rich in vitamin C that you may be interested in. Here we have displayed the name of the food, the serving size, the vitamin C content of the food, and finally the percentage of your RDI that this represents.
- Cantaloupe - A 102 g slice of cantaloupe has 37.4 mg / 42%
- Tomato juice - A 243 g cup of tomato juice without salt has 44.5 mg / 49%
- Lemon - An 84 g lemon, without the peel has 44.5 mg / 49%
- Asparagus - In a 180 g serving of boiled asparagus there is 43.9 mg / 49%
- Kale - 100 g of boiled kale has 41 mg / 46%
- Grapefruit - 118 g of grapefruit has 39.3 mg / 44%
- Cabbage - 100 g of boiled cabbage has 37.5 mg / 42%
- Clementine - A 74 g clementine has 36.1 mg / 40%
- Raspberries - A 123 cup of raspberries has 32.2 mg / 36%
- Pomegranate - A 282 g pomegranate has 28.8 mg / 32%
- Turnip greens - 100 g of boiled turnip greens has 27.4 mg / 30%
- Cauliflower - A 62 g stalk has 27.5 mg / 30%
- Bok Choy - 100 g of boiled bok choy has 26 mg / 29%
- Beet greens - 100 g of boiled beet greens has 24.9 mg / 28%
- Mustard greens - 100 g of boiled mustard greens has 25.3 mg / 28%
- Cranberry juice - A 253 g of cranberry juice has 23.5 mg / 26%
- Tomato - A 182 g tomato has 23.1 mg / 26%
- Watermelon - A 286 slice of watermelon has 23.2 mg / 26%
- Lasagna - 100 g of lasagna has 21.5 mg / 24%
- Parsnip - A 160 g boiled parsnip has 20.8 mg / 23%
- Avocado - A 201 g avocado has 20.1 mg / 23%
- Lime - A 67 g lime, without the skin, has 19.5 mg / 22%
- Sweet potato - A 151 g boiled sweet potato with the skin, has 19.3 mg / 22%
- Swede - 100 g of boiled swede has 18.8 mg / 21%
- Honeydew melon - 100 g of honeydew melon has 18 mg / 20%
- Okra - 100 g of boiled okra has 16.3 mg / 18%
- Grapes - A 151 g cup of European grapes has 16.3 mg / 18%
- Butternut squash - 100 g of butternut squash has 15.1 mg / 17%
- Blueberries - A 148 g cup of blueberries has 14.4 mg / 16%
- Mussels - 100 g of cooked blue mussels have 13.6 mg / 15%
- Green beans - A 125 g serving of boiled green beans has 12.1 mg / 13%
- Yam - 100 g of boiled yam has 12.1 mg / 13%
- Banana - A 136 g banana has 11.8 mg / 13%
- Peach - A 150 g peach has 9.9 mg / 11%
- Cherries - A 138 g cup of cherries has 9.7 mg / 11%
- Spinach - 100 g of boiled spinach has 9.8 mg / 11%
- Nectarine - A 156 g nectarine has 8.4 mg / 9%
- Apple - A 182 g apple has 8.4 mg / 9%
- Pear - A 178 g pear has 7.5 mg / 8%
What is your favorite vitamin C food?
The RDI that has been used in the above examples applies to an average adult male. This RDI may vary due to age, gender, and medical conditions. To get a clearer idea of how much vitamin C you should be consuming per day, please see further down the page.
As this list clearly shows, there are plenty of high vitamin C foods for you to choose from. You can make simple combinations of them in your diet each day to ensure that you get enough of this vitamin, or in some cases just one piece of fruit will do the trick.
You also have to take into consideration that the other foods in your diet may also contain small amounts of vitamin C, and therefore they will all combine to make a healthy contribution to your daily total as well.
Check out the menu on the left hand side of the page to find individual foods, and the calories and nutrients that they contain.
How much vitamin C should I take per day? Vitamin C dosage
Now that you have read through our long list of vitamin C rich foods, it makes sense to discover just how much vitamin C you need per day. How much vitamin C per day that you should be taking is explained below.
- Babies should consume 40 mg of vitamin C each day
- Children aged 1-3 should take 15 of vitamin C each day
- Children aged 4-8 should take 25 of vitamin C each day
- Children aged 9-13 should take 45 mg of vitamin C each day
- Males aged 14-18 should take 75 mg of vitamin C each day
- Females aged 14-18 should take 65 mg of vitamin C each day
- Adult females should consume 75 mg of vitamin C each day
- Adult males should consume 90 mg of vitamin C each day
Not everybody knows this, but smoking can actually reduce the effectiveness of vitamin C in your body. If you are a smoker you should eat more foods that contain vitamin C, in order to give your body a better chance of absorbing all that it needs. Adults should increase their vitamin C dosage by approximately 30 mg a day if they smoke.
Can you take too much vitamin C?
One good question that people often ask is how much vitamin C is too much, can you actually take too much vitamin C? Well it is possible for you to consume too much vitamin C, but this would have to be several thousand milligrams, like 2,000 plus, each day for there to be a problem. If you eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables you are going to be taking on a lot of vitamin C, but it is highly unlikely that this will be so much that it will do you any harm. Too much vitamin C is also unlikely unless you have a medical condition where a doctor is prescribing you to take high volumes via supplement.
More information
We hope that you have found the information that you were looking for when it comes to high vitamin C foods.
Vitamin C is not the only nutrient that we have featured on this site, click here to see a huge menu of vitamins and minerals, with pages that are full of the foods that act as their best sources. Just like we have a vitamin C rich foods on this page, we have similar information on each of these nutrients too.
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