Vitamin C is crucial for good health. Unfortunately not all supplements are beneficial or absorbed well by the body. Vitamins and nutrients absorb better from whole foods, which brings us to 19 foods high in vitamin C!
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What is Vitamin C?
We are all familiar with vitamins. Vitamins are nutrients that the body needs to properly function.
Vitamin C is something that the body cannot produce itself, which means that it needs to come from an external source. It is a water soluble vitamin that is found in many different fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin C is also an excellent vitamin to help boost the immune system! If you would like to find additional ways to boost the immune system then be sure to check out How to Boost Your Immune System.
In today’s day and age there are multiple ways to get the vitamin C that we need.
Some say that we only need about 60 mg of vitamin C per day, and some recommend consuming as much as 500 mg of vitamin C a day. And during times of illness it is recommended to take even higher dosages for short periods of time. It is however almost impossible to overdose on vitamin C.
Sufficient numbers can be hard to achieve from food alone, so taking a good quality, whole foods, vitamin C supplement is recommended.
However, it is always a good idea to consume foods rich in vitamin C to help your body to get what it needs in addition to supplementation!
Foods High in Vitamin C
When it comes to choosing a supplement most people just grab any random bottle on the grocery store shelf. After all, if a vitamin has been approved for sale it must be beneficial right?
I wish it were so!
Unfortunately not all supplements are created equal.
Most are full of fillers and additional ingredients such as sugars which are not beneficial.
Lots of supplements also do not easily break down and just pass on through the body, making them useless.
And still others are made with synthetic supplements which aren’t good either.
Vitamin C Foods
The best way to get vitamins are, as I already mentioned, whole foods.
If you are choosing a supplement then you want to choose a good quality whole foods supplement that is of superior quality. It should contain all the vitamins from foods and not synthetic vitamins that were created in a lab!
It should also be a supplement that was created in a way as to not destroy the nutrients it contains.
Vitamin C Food Sources
If you are already taking a good quality supplement and want to also include vitamin C rich foods in your diet, then the following foods are going to be the best ones to consume!
Broccoli
Broccoli is a great choice.
You know what I love about eating foods to get vitamins? Not only does your body benefit from the vitamin you are seeking (in this case vitamin C), but it also benefits from all the additional nutrients found in that food!
Broccoli is full of lots of nutrients and is very beneficial to the body!
Broccoli contains about 81 mg of vitamin C per cup. So this is a great vegetable to include in your diet for vitamin C consumption!
Kale
Kale is another great veggie to consume for vitamin C.
Cooked kale contains approximately 53 mg of vitamin C per cup.
Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts might not be every kids favorite veggie, but they are a great source of vitamin C:)
This vegetable contains approximately 75 mg of vitamin C per cup of raw Brussel sprouts.
Citrus
Citrus fruit is well know for the vitamin C it contains. While all citrus contains vitamin C, some citrus fruits contain more than others.
For example oranges contain about 98 mg of vitamin C per large orange, whereas one lemon contains about 45 mg of vitamin C.
Grapefruit contains about 94 mg per cup.
Kiwi
Kiwi fruit are a great choice for vitamin C as well. They are also an enjoyable way to get this vitamin as they are very tasty:)
One kiwi contains approximately 64 mg of vitamin C.
Potatoes
Would you have guessed that a potato contains vitamin C?! Well they do!
A medium-sized potato contains about 42 mg of vitamin C! So I think that’s a good reason to have a baked potato with dinner;)
Papaya
In my experience this tropical fruit is either one you love or hate.
If you are a papaya lover then keep eating them! One large papaya contains approx. 475 mg of vitamin C!
Mango
Another tropical fruit that contains vitamin C is the mango!
There is approx. 60 mg of vitamin C in 1 cup of raw mango.
We love mango in our home! If you are looking for some tasty ways to enjoy mango and to consume the vitamin C that it contains, then be sure to check out these Mango Recipes.
Tomatoes
The next item on our list is the tomato.
Cooked tomatoes contain about 23 mg of vitamin C per cup.
You can find out more about the different ways to use tomatoes in 11 Ways to Preserve Tomatoes.
Acerola Cherries
This is such a potent form of vitamin C that it is included in many vitamin C supplements!
100 grams of acerola cherries contain approximately 1,680 mg of vitamin C! That is a lot!
What Foods Have Vitamin C?
Starfruit
Starfruit is a fruit that not everyone is familiar with, but one that I grew up eating. It grows well in tropical climates and is a great source of vitamin C!
1 cup of starfruit contains about 37 mg of vitamin C.
Strawberries
This is definitely a great source of vitamin C for kids. While some of the foods on this list are hard to get kids to enjoy, strawberries are definitely not one of them!
Strawberries contain approximately 98 mg of vitamin C per cup.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a fruit that we are probably all familiar with. It is a staple in most fruit salads and something easily found in restaurants.
Cantaloupe contains about 57 mg of vitamin c per cup of fruit.
Peppers
Red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers…. what do they all have in common? They are high in vitamin C!
Raw sweet red peppers contain approximately 190 mg of vitamin C. That is a lot! And a great reason to add some peppers to your salad!
Rose Hips
Have you ever had rose hips? I love rose hip tea!
Rose hips contain about 540 mg of vitamin C in 1 cup of rose hips!
Pineapple
Another tropical fruit that is very tasty is the pineapple.
1 cup of raw pineapple chunks contain about 79 mg of vitamin C.
Cauliflower
Another veggie on the vitamin C list is Cauliflower.
Per cup of raw cauliflower you can find about 57 mg of vitamin C.
Persimmons
Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits! If you aren’t familiar with the persimmon it’s an orange fruit that looks kind of similar to a tomato as it is soft.
The persimmon contains about 17 mg of vitamin C per persimmon.
Guava
Another tropical fruit that is packed with vitamin C is the guava!
This tasty fruit contains approximately 377 mg of vitamin C per cup! How awesome is that?!
Does Cooking Destroy Vitamin C?
As you can see lots of foods contain vitamin C.
While some of these foods are best eaten raw, some of them must be cooked before eating, and some of them definitely taste better cooked!
Unfortunately heat does destroy vitamin C. However cooking your food won’t destroy all of this important vitamin.
Also, foods cooked in water will have even less vitamin C left, as the vitamin will leach out into the water.
It has also been found that frozen foods contain less vitamin C than fresh foods. The longer a food is frozen the less vitamin C will be in it.
So, when possible consume vitamin C rich foods raw and fresh!
Vitamin C Rich Foods
How much vitamin C do you consume? Do you eat the foods on this list regularly?
I hope this list of foods helps you to include more vitamin C rich foods in your diet!
Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for educational purposes only. I do not prescribe, diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Please consult your health care provider before implementing any of the information provided on this site.
The information provided on this site is completely my own opinion and does not reflect the opinions or beliefs of any other entity.
Any statements or claims regarding health benefits of foods, supplements or essential oils listed on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.
