Here’s a long list of sources for vitamin C and how much you’ll find in each portion:
| Food | Quantity | Milligrams (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Cantaloupe | ½ medium | 194.7 |
| Currant juice, black | ½ cup | 194.4 |
| Guava, fresh | 1 medium | 165.2 |
| Honeydew melon | ½ medium | 160 |
| Peppers, red, raw | 1 pod | 142.5 |
| Kohlrabi, cooked | 1 cup | 86.8 |
| Papayas, raw | 1 cup (1/2 inch cubes) | 86.5 |
| Strawberries, frozen or fresh | 1 cup | 84.5 |
| Green pepper, cooked (w/o stem or seeds) | 1 medium | 84.4 |
| Cranapple juice | 1 cup | 78.4 |
| Kiwifruit | 1 medium | 74.5 |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked | 1 cup | 70.8 |
| Orange, fresh | 1 medium | 69.7 |
| Grape juice, sweetened | 1 cup | 59.8 |
| Mango | 1 medium | 57.3 |
| Cauliflower, cooked (flower buds) | 1 cup | 56.3 |
| Grapefruit sections, canned in syrup | 1 cup | 54.1 |
| Gazpacho | 1 cup | 52.7 |
| Mandarin orange sections | 1 cup | 50.3 |
| Grapefruit, fresh | 1/2 medium | 50.1 |
| Orange juice, fresh or canned | 1 cup | 48.4 |
| Watermelon, raw | 1 wedge | 46.3 |
| Cranberry juice, sweetened | ½ cup | 44.8 |
| Fruit cup (citrus, apple, grape) | 1 cup | 44.6 |
| Asparagus, green, canned | 1 cup | 44.5 |
| Cabbage, bok choy, cooked | 1 cup | 44.2 |
| Gooseberries, raw | 1 cup | 41.6 |
| Raspberries, red, frozen | 1 cup | 41.2 |
| Broccoli, raw | 1/2 cup | 41 |
| Spanish rice | 1 cup | 40.6 |
| Turnip greens, cooked | 1 cup | 39.5 |
| Cowpeas, cooked | 1 cup | 38.3 |
| Broccoli, cooked | ½ cup | 36.9 |
| Tomatoes, canned (solids and liquids) | 1 cup | 36.2 |
| Grapefruit juice, fresh or canned | ½ cup | 36.1 |
| Sauerkraut, canned (solids and liquids) | 1 cup | 34.7 |
| Tomato, raw | 1 medium | 34.4 |
| Vegetable juice | 1/2 cup | 33.5 |
| Rutabaga | 1 cup | 32 |
| Chard, Swiss, cooked, fresh or frozen | 1 cup | 31.5 |
| Sweet potatoes, cooked | ½ cup | 31.4 |
| Raspberries, red, raw | 1 cup | 30.8 |
| Lemon, fresh | 1 medium | 30.7 |
| Cabbage, cooked (common varieties) | 1 cup | 30.2 |
| Blackberries, raw | 1 cup | 30.2 |
| Sweet potatoes, candied | 1 medium | 28 |
| Tomato paste | 1/4 cup | 27.7 |
| Tangerine, raw | 1 medium | 26.9 |
| Pineapple, raw, diced | 2 slices | 25.9 |
| Winter squash, baked, mashed | 1 cup | 23.5 |
| Spinich, cooked | 1 cup | 23.4 |
| Cauliflower, chopped, raw | 1/2 cup | 23.2 |
| Cabbage, raw | 1 cup | 22.5 |
| Loganberries | 1 cup | 22.5 |
| Okra, cooked | 1/2 cup | 22.4 |
| Tomato juice, canned | 1/2 cup | 22.2 |
| Asparagus, cooked | 1/2 cup | 22 |
| Sweet potatoes, canned | 1 cup | 21.2 |
| Cabbage, celery or Chinese, raw | 1 cup | 20.5 |
| Fruit cobbler | 1 cup | 20.4 |
| Parsnips, cooked | 1 cup | 20.2 |
| Potatoes, hash browns | 1 cup | 20 |
| Blueberries | 1 cup | 18.8 |
| Arugula | 1 cup | 18.2 |
| Turnips, cooked, diced | 1 cup | 18.1 |
| Scallions | 1/4 cup | 18 |
| Grapes | 1 cup | 17.3 |
| Potato sticks | 1 cup | 17 |
| Artichokes, cooked | 1 cup | 16.8 |
| Peas, green, fresh or frozen | 1 cup | 15.8 |
| Potato, baked | 1 medium | 15.7 |
| Spinach, raw | 1 cup | 15.7 |
| Collards, cooked | 1 cup | 15.5 |
| Spinich, canned (drained solids) | 1/2 cup | 15.3 |
| Lemon juice, fresh | 1/4 cup | 15.1 |
| Onions, raw | 1/2 cup | 15.1 |
| Cress, garden, raw | 1 cup | 14.6 |
| Avocado, raw | 1 medium | 13.7 |
| Pinapple juice, canned | 1 cup | 13.4 |
| French fries | 1 cup (about 25 pieces) | 12.1 |
| Guacamole dip | 2 tablespoons | 12 |
| Potatoes, boiled | 1 cup | 11.5 |
| Beans, lima, fresh or frozen | 1/2 cup | 10.9 |
| Tomatoes, sun-dried | 1/2 cup | 10.6 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 10.4 |
| Cherries, sweet, raw | 1 cup | 10.2 |
| Summer squash, cooked, diced | 1 cup | 9.9 |
| Limeade, sweetened | 1 cup | 9.7 |
| Lemonade concentrate, diluted, sweetened | 1 cup | 9.7 |
| Beans, snap, green | 1/2 cup | 9.4 |
| Peas, green, canned (solids and liquid) | 1/2 cup | 8.2 |
| Rhubarb, cooked (sugar added) | 1 cup | 7.9 |
| Apple | 1 medium | 7.9 |
| Peaches, dried, uncooked | 1 cup | 7.7 |
| Lettuce, cos or romaine | 1 cup | 7.2 |
| Corn, canned | 1/2 cup | 6.9 |
| Plum | 1 medium | 6.3 |
| Potato chips | 1 cup | 6.2 |
| Parsley | 1 tablespoon | 5 |
| Celery | 1/2 cup | 4.2 |
| Zucchini | 1/2 cup | 4.1 |
| Papaya juice, canned | 1/2 cup | 3.8 |
| Apricot halves, dried, uncooked | 1 cup | 3.1 |
| Soybeans, boiled, drained | 1 cup | 2.9 |
| Cucumber, raw, pared | 1/2 cup | 2.8 |
| Lettuce, iceberg | 1 cup | 2.1 |
READ : How much weight did you lose on the cabbage soup diet?
Vitamin C promotes the normal development of bones and teeth.
It is also needed for amino acid metabolism and the synthesis of hormones, including the thyroid hormone that controls the body’s rate of metabolism.
Vitamin C also aids the absorption of iron and calcium.
This vitamin is easy to find – the famed citrus fruits: oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes are all excellent sources of vitamin C.
Other often overlooked and yet excellent sources of vitamin C are strawberries, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, and peppers.
Potatoes also supply vitamin C (cooking destroys some of the vitamin, but you can minimize the amount lost if the temperature is not too high and you don’t cook them any longer than necessary.
Even potato chips and French fries retain some vitamin C from the raw potato.
Vitamin C is easier to destroy than any other vitamin except folate.
The amount of vitamin C in foods falls off rapidly during transport, processing, storage, and preparation.
Bruising or cutting a fruit or vegetable destroys some of the vitamin, as do light, air, and heat.
Still, if you cover and refrigerate orange juice, it will retain much of its vitamin C value, even after several days.
To obtain maximum vitamin value, it is best to use fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables when ever possible.
The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C is 60 milligrams daily for adults with an additional 20 milligrams for pregnant woman (that 80 mg for those keeping count) and an additional 40 milligrams for women who are breast feeding (that’s 100 mg for the breast feeders).
The body normally stores about 1,500 mg of vitamin C at a time.
It would take several weeks on a diet containing no vitamin C to diminish this supply.
Thus there is no value in taking too much vitamin C as the excess is simply excreted in the urine.
However, when pregnant taking too much vitamin can create a need of the same amount in your baby (they develop an increased need).
Better to stick with normal intake via fruits and vegetables and skip any mega doses from vitamin C supplements.