Vitamin C foods

Which foods contain vitamin C?

The table below is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements’ list of selected foods; values are based on US serving sizes (“cup” is a volume measure used in the US, about 240 mL). Because the variety, ripeness and serving size of products sold in Türkiye differ, the values are an approximate guide. ”% DV” shows the proportion of the Daily Value set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at 90 mg for adults and children over 4 years; the FDA counts foods providing 20% or more of the Daily Value as a “high source” of that nutrient. By this criterion, all foods in the table except potato, tomato, spinach and peas fall into the high-source category. ^[1]

Three observations come from the table. First, besides citrus, raw pepper and kiwi also provide a large part of the daily reference in one serving. Second, the raw and cooked forms of the same food can differ: in the table, raw broccoli is 39 mg per ½ cup and cooked broccoli 51 mg; the table does not explain this difference, so it cannot be concluded that cooking increases the vitamin (cooking loss is discussed below). Third, grains have no natural vitamin C; it is added to some breakfast cereals. ^[1]

How much do cooking and storage reduce vitamin C?

The NIH reports that vitamin C in foods can decrease with long-term storage and cooking, because ascorbic acid dissolves in water and is destroyed by heat. It also states that steaming or using a microwave may reduce cooking losses. It notes that most of the best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables that are generally eaten raw. ^[1] The NIH text does not give the loss as a percentage; the difference between methods cannot be quantified with this data.

The NIH also says that vitamin C deficiency can be seen in infants fed boiled or evaporated cow’s milk; cow’s milk naturally contains very little vitamin C and heat destroys it. ^[1]

Is the daily need met by food?

The NIH states that five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day can provide more than 200 mg of vitamin C. For comparison: the NIH/FNB RDA is 90 mg for adult men and 75 mg for women; the EFSA 2013 PRI is 110 mg for men and 95 mg for women. ^{[1] [2]} According to data from the US national nutrition survey (NHANES 2001–2002), mean vitamin C intake from foods and beverages is 105.2 mg/day in adult men and 83.6 mg/day in women; the NIH states that these means meet the RDA for most non-smoking adults. At ages 1–18, means range from 75.6–100 mg/day. Breast milk is considered an adequate source for infants. ^[1] These figures belong to the US; no comparable mean for Türkiye is cited here.

In 1996, Levine and colleagues, based on plasma saturation, proposed raising the RDA to 200 mg and that this could be obtained from fruits and vegetables; this is the proposal of a research team and has not been adopted as an official reference value (the current NIH RDA is 90/75 mg). ^[3]

There is no difference in vitamin C bioavailability between supplements and food: the NIH reports that the bioavailability of ascorbic acid in supplements is equivalent to ascorbic acid in foods. ^[1] However, there is another finding about intake from food: in the large cohorts of Ferraro and colleagues, vitamin C from food was not associated with kidney stone risk (few participants had food intake >700 mg/day), whereas high-dose supplements were associated in men. ^[4] This is an observational finding and cannot be separated from the other components of foods.

Which food choices affect vitamin C intake?

The NIH reports that in the US, citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are among the vitamin C sources that contribute most to the diet; this is a finding about US eating habits and requires separate data for Türkiye. ^[1] The daily reference for smokers is 35 mg higher; intake may fall short in people with limited food variety (details on the deficiency page). ^[1]

This guide does not recommend personal doses.