Everyone knows that oranges are a natural source of vitamin C, but you might not know exactly how this vital vitamin works in our bodies – or if you’re getting enough.
Get the lowdown on this essential nutrient and the best sources of vitamin C, so you can meet yours and your loved ones’ daily nutritional needs.
What is vitamin C?
Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C was first identified in the 1930s by Dr Albert Szent-Györgyi. Although it’s hard to imagine now, people would once get very sick or even die due to scurvy (caused by lack of vitamin C ).
Luckily, understanding of vitamins has changed, and vitamin C deficiency in the UK is very rare.
However, having low vitamin C levels is not uncommon, especially in people who don’t eat many fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin C has a range of functions, including support for your immune system and maintaining normal skin health.
Vitamin C also helps our bodies absorb iron from plant sources.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. This means our bodies can’t store it, and each time we urinate, we lose a little vitamin C.
Our bodies can’t make it, either. Therefore, we need to make sure we have food or drink containing vitamin C every day to prevent us from running low. The NHS recommends that adults get 40mg of vitamin C per day.
Why do we need vitamin C?
1. It supports immunity
According to the NHS, there’s little evidence to suggest that vitamin C can prevent colds or speed up recovery. However, it’s important for supporting our usual immune function in many ways, including:
- Helping to keep cells healthy
- Maintaining healthy skin, bones, and cartilage
- Helping with wound healing
2. It’s an antioxidant
Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant. It can help protect us from oxidative stress, a type of damage that can affect our cells, proteins, and DNA.
3. It’s a beauty aid
Looking for a beauty booster? Vitamin C plays an important role in stimulating the production of collagen in our skin, needed to give plumpness and elasticity to skin.
Lack of vitamin C is also associated with dry skin and brittle hair.
4. It helps care for your teeth
Scurvy – a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency – used to be associated with sailors.
Most people get enough vitamin C through their diet today, and even people who do not eat a balanced diet all the time are not usually considered at risk of scurvy.
However, scurvy is still present (if not rare) today.
The first sign of scurvy is bleeding gums, as there isn’t enough collagen to help keep gum cells together. This allows the bacteria responsible for gum disease to take hold more easily and could lead to tooth loss.
If you’re concerned you’re severely deficient in vitamin C, speak to your GP who will advise you on the best treatment.
5. It helps absorb iron
Going veggie can be a good move, but there are some unique health issues linked to cutting out meat, including not always getting enough iron. A lack of iron can lead to fatigue, anaemia, and a weakened immune system.
The non-heme iron available mostly in plant sources (such as beans, lentils, and dried fruit), is harder for the body to extract from food. So, absorbing your iron well is particularly useful if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Luckily, vitamin C helps you absorb it more easily. So why not try adding a small, brightly coloured salad to your meals, or having a glass of orange juice with dinner?
How to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin C
Vitamin C dosage
Adults need a minimum of 40mg of vitamin C a day. This is easy to get through a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables.
As with any vitamins, the best way to get vitamin C is through your diet if possible.
Vitamin C deficiency symptoms go away quickly once you start getting vitamin C, whether through diet or supplements.
Dietary vitamin C
To ensure you’re getting enough vitamin C, make sure you eat a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Best vitamin C food sources
Some of the best sources of vitamin C are:
- Red pepper – you may be surprised oranges aren’t first on the list, but red peppers are the best source of vitamin C with 95mg per serving
- Oranges – oranges are still one of the very best foods with vitamin C with one orange packing 70mg per serving. Orange juice is more concentrated so has more – 93mg per serving
- Grapefruit juice – whether you love or hate the bittersweet taste, there’s no denying grapefruit juice contains lots of vitamin C at 70mg per serving. Grapefruits themselves have slightly less, with 39mg per serving
- Kiwi fruit – 1 medium kiwi contains 64mg vitamin C, which provides plenty for your daily needs.
- Broccoli – just a small serving of broccoli contains 51mg vitamin C
- Strawberries – a portion of strawberries comes in at 49mg vitamin C
- Potatoes – one of the more unlikely vitamin C rich foods, there’s around 17mg in a medium baked potato
- Tomato – a medium sized tomato also contains 17mg vitamin C
