These Foods Have More Vitamin C Than Oranges
Are you looking for foods that have high vitamin C and not just orange?
When people think of Vitamin C, they tend to default to the mental imagery of the famous shiny oranges from the citrus family.
But, is it only oranges that have the highest amount of vitamin C?
Well, it’s not the oranges at all.
In this post, we will share 10 foods that you may have never expected to have higher amounts of vitamin C than oranges! Now, let’s C!
Why is Vitamin C important?
Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid.
This is a water-soluble vitamin that is found in certain foods, and it is also available as a dietary supplement.
You should not miss your daily dose of vitamin C because it
- Helps to strengthen our immune system by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune systems.
- Contains antioxidants that help fight against cancer by protecting our cells from oxidative damage and improve skin health.
- Enables iron absorption in the body as it serves as a potent enhancer of nonheme iron absorption.
- Assists in collagen production needed for our connective tissues required for the ligaments, tendons, skin, cartilage, cornea, bone, gut, and blood vessels.
- Contains anti-inflammatory properties and helps accelerate wound healing.
You must have a sufficient intake of vitamin C every day.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin varies per age group. For adults, they will need to take 65 to 90 milligrams of vitamin C per day.
Oranges and Vitamin C
Orange is known for its sweet, tangy, and juicy fruit with loads of vitamin C.
Many children, adults, or elderly love to have this round citrus fruit with finely-textured skins as a snack and a unique ingredient to tangy recipes.
A cup of orange gives you 96mg of vitamin C, which covers 106% of an adult’s daily value.
And, for every 100g of oranges, it will provide you with 53mg, which is equivalent to 59% of an adult’s daily deal.
Orange is a fruit that people can get creative and at the same time enjoy the touch of vitamin C. With orange, you can:
- Freeze it
- Make a juice or concentrate from it
- Infuse it in your favorite tea or liquor.
- Use the zest for your dishes
- Tang up the recipe with its juice
- Make candy, jams, jellies, cakes, and other desserts with it.
However, don’t just limit yourself with the idea around oranges.
There are more foods you have to realize that has more vitamin C than just orange!
Foods High in Vitamin C
1. Guava fruit
Guava is an oval-shaped tropical fruit with light green to green or yellow skin that is sometimes hard or soft and tastes bitter or sweet.
Its pulp can be either sweet or sour and with an off-white to deep pink color, and its seeds are edible too.
The small seeds are found in the central pulp, which can be edible if not hard.
Of all the fruits, the guava is known to have the highest vitamin C content.
For every 100g of guava, it can give you 228 mg, which covers 254% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
Hence, the guava fruit can provide almost four times more vitamin C than oranges! Big cheers to the guavas!
2. Red chili peppers
The hot, spicy, and pungent chili peppers belong to the nightshade family or Solanaceae.
Chili peppers are eaten fresh or dried, and these are produced with chili powder that gives flavor to curries, barbecue, and sauces.
For every 100g of red chili peppers, it can give you 143.7 mg of vitamin C, covering 160% of an adult’s daily value (DV).
That’s almost 3x higher than the vitamin C content from oranges.
3. Kiwifruit
Also known as Chinese gooseberry, is a flavorful and slightly acidic oval-shaped fruit from the Actinidiaceae family.
The kiwifruit has a furry brownish-green skin, and its firm flesh is green with edible purple-black seeds embedded around a white center.
For every 100g of kiwifruit, it can give you 93mg, which covers 103% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
Hence, the kiwi fruit can provide about 75% more vitamin C than oranges!
4. Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are more like sweet peppers than pungent peppers.
It can also be called sweet peppers or capsicum that comes with the colors green, red, yellow, or orange.
Bell pepper fruits are botanically berries, but it is used as a vegetable ingredient for cooking.
For every 100g of chopped red bell pepper, it can give 128mg, covering 142% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
There’s more! Red bell peppers can even provide about 60% more vitamin C than green bell peppers.
5. Broccoli
Broccoli is a green cruciferous vegetable of the mustard family, dark green in color, with firm stalks and compact bud clusters.
This is a nutritious vegetable that can either be eaten fresh or cooked.
For every 100g of cooked broccoli, it can give 64.9mg, covering 72% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
The vitamin C content of cooked and raw broccoli is about 30% more than oranges.
6. Brussels sprouts
Brussel sprouts are like tiny cabbages that belong to the mustard family Brassicaceae.
These little green sprouts are eaten cooked, and it has a delicate flavor compared to the matured ones.
For every 100g of Brussel sprouts, it can give 62mg, covering 69% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
The vitamin C content of strawberries is just a little higher than oranges.
The vitamin C content of strawberries is undoubtedly higher than oranges.
7. Papaya
Papaya, papaw or pawpaw, is a succulent fruit from the Caricaceae family.
Its fruit is fleshy and somewhat sweet that comes with a musky tang.
Ripe papaya is a common fruit served for breakfast in many countries, while the unripe fruit can be cooked in soupy cuisines.
For every 100g of papaya, it can give 60.9mg, covering 68% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
The vitamin C content of papaya is higher than oranges.
8. Snow peas
Also known as Chinese pods, these are green pods that contain tiny flat peas.
These pods are usually cooked in Asian stir-fries, and it can be eaten raw as well.
For every 100g of snow peas, it can give 60mg, covering 67% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C. That’s a little higher than the vitamin C content in oranges.
9. Strawberries
Strawberries are delicious and fleshy soft, sweet, bright red berries with many small achenes scattered on its skin.
This pulpy fruit is commonly used in jams, pies, strawberry shortcakes, and other strawberry desserts.
For every 100g of strawberries, it can give 59mg, covering 65% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
The vitamin C content of strawberries is just a little higher than oranges.
Related: Strawberries With Breakfast? Try These Easy and Yummy Breakfast Ideas
10. Red cabbage
Red cabbage is often called purple cabbage, blue kraut, or red kraut because its leaves are dark red or purple.
It’s a multi-layered leafy vegetable belonging to the Brassicaceae family.
Of all the types of cabbage, the red cabbage contains vitamin C most.
For every 100g of red cabbage, it can give 57mg, covering 63% of an adult’s daily value (DV) for vitamin C.
That’s a little higher than the vitamin C content in oranges.
Takeaway
We need vitamin C to strengthen our immune system, efficiently produce collagen, and fight against cancer.
Vitamin C also helps improve skin health, iron absorption, and wound healing.
The highest sources of vitamin C can be naturally found in fruits and vegetables.
Orange is one of the best vitamin C sources, but some more fruits and vegetables can give more of this vitamin.
Next time, when you go to the grocery shop, you might consider the other vitamin C-rich foods we’ve discussed.
