Foods rich in Vitamin C
One of the most famous vitamins and especially in the winter is Vitamin C.
Theoretically it helps to reduce the risk of colds, although studies show that, in practice, this is not the case.
In healthy people, Vitamin C does not reduce the risk of constipation, but slightly reduces its duration. (1)
In athletes, the results are more interesting, with a possibility of reducing the risk to 50%. (1)
But Vitamin C plays other roles besides preventing colds.
It has a fundamental role in the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters, is a potent antioxidant, influences Cortisol and much more.
The recommended daily allowance (DDR) varies between 90mg for men over 18 and 75mg for women.
In addition, people who smoke should include an additional 35mg of this vitamin daily.
However, it is important to note, DDR is only the recommended amount to avoid deficiencies in the general population, and benefits such as reducing the risk of constipation in athletes require higher doses.
The values shown are for the food for each 100g raw.
The values presented here are only approximations and you should consult the product labels, since different origins and different brands lead to different nutritional values.
To simplify the article, we calculated the DDR (Recommended Daily Allowance) for 82.5mg, which is the average between men and women.
Guava
Guava is an extremely rich fruit in Vitamin C and if you are looking to increase your consumption, it is an excellent bet.
For every 100g of Guava you can count on approximately 228mg of Vitamin C, which corresponds to 279% of DDR. A high value.
In addition to Vitamin C, Guava also has significant amounts of Vitamin A, B9 and the minerals Potassium and Copper.
At the level of macronutrients, there is not much to say.
The only one with significant values is the carbohydrates with approximately 14g in which part of them are fibers.
In total, there are approximately 68 Kcal for every 100g of Guava, which makes it easy to fit this food in any type of diet.
Pepper
The different types of peppers are another one of the richest sources of Vitamin C that you can use.
They come in various colors and types, and each one differs in its amount of this vitamin.
In the case of yellow peppers you have approximately 183mg of Vitamin C, which represents 222% of DDR if you are determined to eat 100g.
The red pepper is also not far behind and has about 127mg of this micronutrient, which corresponds to 154% of the recommended daily dose.
It also has approximately 63% of the Vitamin A DDR.
If you prefer green, then the amount is the smallest of the three at approximately 80mg, the equivalent of 97% from DDR.
Something that they all share is the low caloric value, since they are mostly made up of water.
Regardless of the color you prefer, they have about 5g of carbohydrates for every 100g each, and between 20 and 30 Kcal.
That is, whatever your favorite, you will not be short of Vitamin C.
Cabbage
Kale is an extremely nutritious food in terms of micronutrients, and one of them could not fail to be Vitamin C.
For every 100g of Kale you will find approximately 120mg of Vitamin C, which corresponds to 145% of DDR.
In addition, the levels of Vitamin K present in the cabbage are enormous and correspond to 817mcg, the equivalent of 1021% of DDR. Excellent news for anyone who uses dietary supplements D vitamin.
But that is not all.
As if that were not enough, it still has approximately 308% of DDR for Vitamin A, 39% of DDR for Manganese and 135mg of Calcium (14% DDR).
All of this with only 50 Kcal per 100g, mostly from carbohydrates.
You could say that it is a super food for kale.
Kiwi
Kiwi is another fruit with a very interesting Vitamin C concentration.
It has approximately 93mg of this vitamin which corresponds to 113% of DDR.
That is, one Kiwi a day and you don't need to worry about insufficient Vitamin C levels anymore.
In addition to Vitamin C, it also has significant values of Vitamin K (50% DDR) and 312mg of Potassium, corresponding to 9% of DDR.
The caloric level is basically composed of carbohydrates, in which it has about 15g and approximately 61 Kcal.
If you want to increase your consumption of Vitamin C, including Kiwi in your diet is a good strategy.
Broccoli
Broccoli is another of the foods on this list, and one of those that is present in the diet of many gymnasts.
It is an extremely nutritious vegetable and also has a good value for this vitamin.
For every 100g of Broccoli you will find about 89mg of Vitamin C, equivalent to 108% of DDR.
But that is not all.
With only 34 Kcal, broccoli also has good values of other vitamins such as K, B9 and A.
In addition to vitamins, it also has good values for some minerals such as manganese and potassium.
In short, including Broccoli regularly in your diet is an excellent idea.
Papaya
Papaya is yet another food rich in Vitamin C.
For every 100g you will find approximately 61mg of this Vitamin which represents 74% of DDR.
In addition, you can also count on the presence of Vitamin A (22% DDR), Vitamin B9 and Potassium.
The level of macronutrients is basically composed of carbohydrates and water.
With about 11g of carbohydrates it has a caloric value of approximately 43 Kcal.
If you are already a fan of this fruit, you now have a few more reasons to eat it.
Strawberries
True, the famous Strawberries are also on this list.
Not only is it a delicious fruit for many, it is also rich in Vitamin C.
They have about 59mg of Vitamin C which represents 72% of DDR.
In addition to this vitamin, this fruit does not have much more at the nutritional level, with only Manganese being the exception to the rule.
There are 32 Kcal for every 100g where 91% is water and 8% carbohydrates.
Low caloric value, pleasant taste and good amount of Vitamin C.
Not bad.
Orange
Finally, we couldn't finish this list without including the famous Orange.
Although Orange is the food most associated with Vitamin C, as you can see, it is not exactly the one with the highest concentration.
Each 100g has approximately 53mg of Vitamin C, which represents 64% of DDR.
It is not a low value, but it is far from standing out, its biggest advantage being the ease with which you can buy and ingest this food.
Moreover, as in the case of Strawberries, there is not much to say about this fruit.
There are 47 Kcal in which 12g are carbohydrates and the rest is basically water.
It's not a bad food, you just have better options in terms of Vitamin C.
Conclusion
If you are looking to reach the DDR of Vitamin C, you must have realized by this list that it is not difficult.
Probably your current diet already does.
However, if you want to ingest higher doses than DDR, and benefit from certain benefits, then you need to either pay attention to the foods you eat, or use a Vitamin C supplement.
You have several good value for money Vitamin C supplements like Vitamin C from Myprotein that you find here.
Finally, these are just a few of the many foods rich in this vitamin, not all of them.
Below are some articles that may also be useful to you.
(1) http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020168
