How To Get The Vitamin C That Isn't In The ThinkPharm Formula

The suggested daily requirement varies quite widely for vitamin C.

NHS choices website: 40mg (1)

EU nutrient reference value: 80mg (2)

US National institute of health (office for dietary supplements): 90mg for men, 75mg for women, 120mg for breastfeeding women (3).

Whole food vitamin C hasn’t been shown to cause any problems at doses that are naturally occurring. This is why we think it’s best to err on the side of caution and make sure we are getting enough by aiming for 90mg.

Cooking will get rid of a lot of vitamin C. Roughly 50% (4). This is even worse if boiling and draining (75%). Steaming is thought to not reduce the vitamin C content quite to the same degree. Obviously these are approximate figures and in practice the amount lost will depend on the amount of time for which the food is cooked (which these estimates don’t specify).

Almost all plant foods will contain vitamin C to varying degrees. Generally speaking, vitamin C is quite low in all nuts, grains, seeds and legumes. They are higher in certain fruits and leafy green vegetables.

Potatoes can contain up to 19.7mg of vitamin C per 100grams. Quite a decent contribution. This can vary quite a bit though, with certain results showing that they only contain 5.7mg per 100grams. This may be explained by the fact vitamin C rapidly starts to decline once the fruit/vegetable is picked or the plant dies. Measuring these levels at different time points will give different results.

This is part of why having fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables is good. It helps to maintain good vitamin C levels. Having said this, certain fruits seem to maintain good vitamin C levels for longer. Examples of high vitamin C foods include:

Guavas = 228mg/100grams

Raw Sweet Yellow peppers = 183mg/100grams

European Black Currants = 181mg/100grams

Raw Scotch Kale = 130mg/100grams

Parsley = 133mg/100grams

Raw sweet red peppers = 128mg/100grams

Raw Kale = 120mg/100grams

Kiwi fruit = 93mg/100grams

Broccoli = 89-93mg/100grams

Brussels sprouts = 85mg/100grams

Garden cress = 69mg/100grams

Persimmons = 66mg/100grams

Papaya = 62mg/100grams

Strawberries = 59mg/100grams

Raw Red cabbage = 57mg/100grams

Pineapple (extra sweet variety) = 56mg/100grams

Oranges = 53mg/100grams

Clementines = 49mg/100grams

Cauliflower = 46mg/100grams

Watercress = 43mg/100grams

Remember this should give us a rough idea because vitamin C levels will vary depending on the time point at which these foods are measured (how soon after picking).

Although cooked foods will contribute towards our vitamin C levels. We don’t like to count cooked sources of vitamin C towards our daily total because the amount of vitamin C remaining is quite unpredictable and will depend factors like cooking time, temperature and the exact food involved.

Freezing slows down the loss of nutrients like vitamin C, which is why we are a big fan of frozen fruits and vegetables (5). Local and super fresh is best, but if this is not available, frozen is next best in our opinion.

In practice, meeting your vitamin C requirements for the day can be as easy as consuming 1 serving of strawberries (147grams) or 1 and a half kiwis. Easy peasy!

Please note: unless otherwise specified, as with all our pages that mention the nutritional content of different foods, the data for this page came from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ or https://nutritiondata.self.com/ (which takes its data from the FDC website and makes it more easily accessible). If you want to learn more about the vitamin and mineral content of foods, those websites make for the best sources.

----------------------------

Disclaimer: Food supplements are intended to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain an adequate intake of certain nutrients, or to support specific physiological functions. The ThinkPharm Formula (or any other food supplement) is not a medicine and therefore cannot and does not claim to treat or prevent disease. All content on this website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. None of the scientific studies quoted on this website qualify as proof or implication that ThinkPharm Health's supplements treat or prevent disease. Findings of scientific studies do not always represent reality. It is always difficult for scientific studies to reach accurate conclusions regarding nutrition and its relationship to diseases. Please consult your healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet and lifestyle. ThinkPharm Health is not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting on information from this website.