Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a vitamin with antioxidant properties. As an antioxidant, it helps to prevent the cellular damage caused by free radical molecules. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that also plays an important role in connective tissue formation. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adult men is 90 mg and for adult women 75 mg, according to Mayoclinic.com. Citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit, are an excellent source of vitamin C. Determining the amount of vitamin C in the citrus fruit you eat is one way to ensure you are getting your recommended daily amount of this essential vitamin.
Step 1
Read the nutrition facts label on the side of canned or packaged citrus fruit. Note the size of one serving on the top of the label; this serving size determines the amount of vitamin C.
Step 2
Examine the facts label to find vitamin C. The amount of vitamin C is a percent daily value, or %DV, with 60 mg equaling 100 percent, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Use this percent value to determine the amount of vitamin C. For example, 50 percent DV would equal 30 mg of vitamin C.
Step 3
Divide fresh fruit into sections and multiply the number of sections you eat by the mg of vitamin C per section. This will give you the total amount of vitamin C consumed. According to the United States Department of Agriculture's nutrition chart, oranges have 9 mg of vitamin C per section, grapefruit has 5.2 mg per section, limes have 2.3 mg per section and lemons have 3.7 mg per section.
Step 4
Weigh the fresh fruit to determine the number of ounces. Using the USDA nutrition chart, for every ounce there are 11.2 mg of vitamin C in oranges, 4.8 mg in grapefruit, 7 mg in limes, 8 mg in lemons, 11.4 mg in kumquats and 5.3 mg in tangerines. Multiply the number of mg per ounce by the number of ounces to determine the amount of vitamin C in your fruit.
Tips and Warnings
- Other foods that are good sources of vitamin C include spinach, broccoli, red berries, kiwi, tomatoes and bell peppers.
- The recommended daily amount of vitamin C depends on your gender, age and medical conditions. Discuss any dietary changes with your health-care provider.
Things You'll Need
- Kitchen scale
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