1. Vitamin C and Your Body
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an extremely important nutrient. It promotes cell development, and is vital for healthy teeth, bones and skin. Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of iron and calcium, and keeps your immune system running at peak levels, which helps your body battle stress and disease. Adults need 30 to 60 mg of vitamin C a day (women who are pregnant or breastfeeding need a bit more), and 150 mg is enough to saturate your body's tissues. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamins, which means that the body cannot store it for long periods of time and excess amounts will simply get excreted out in urine. This also means that you have to make sure that you get plenty of vitamin C every day.
2. C is for Citrus
Citrus fruits are widely known for being high in vitamin C--in the 1700s, British sailors ate limes for their vitamin C content to help prevent scurvy--and this reputation is well deserved. One orange contains about 38 mg of vitamin C (a cup of orange juice has 50 mg) and 1 lemon has 80 mg of vitamin C. Grapefruit, limes, mandarin oranges and kumquats are other great citrus sources of vitamin C.
3. Kiwi, Guavas and Strawberries
Surprisingly, citrus fruits aren't the highest fruit sources of vitamin C. A single kiwi has 74 mg of vitamin C, and a 1-cup serving of strawberries has 57 mg of vitamin C! Some tropical fruits, such as guava, mango and pineapple, are very good sources of vitamin C, as are some fruits that you're more likely to find growing in the wild than being sold in a supermarket, like blackberries, currants and papaws.
4. Eat Your Veggies
Many vegetables are high in vitamin C as well, especially cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens. A serving of raw cauliflower has 60 mg of vitamin C and a serving of cooked broccoli has 34 mg. Spinach and kale are also good sources of vitamin C. One raw red pepper contains a whopping 190 mg of vitamin C!
5. Fresh and Raw
Most fruits and vegetables contain their highest concentrations of vitamin C when they are either slightly under ripe or are just at the very peak of freshness, and vitamin C content declines dramatically as they get older--the vitamin C content of a kiwi drops from 74 to 57 mg after just a few days. Boiling or otherwise overcooking also destroys the vitamins in fruits and vegetables. For the highest concentrations of vitamins, eat your fruits and vegetables raw or very lightly cooking by steaming or stir-frying. Most high quality frozen fruits and vegetables still contain very good levels of vitamin C, but be careful not to destroy it by overcooking.
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