Vitamina C: Este lămâia cea mai bogată sursă?

I wanna be the vitamin C of your anemic life.
Tulikaa Tuli Mukhopadhyay

Because lately I've heard talking about vitamin C quite often, and because store shelves were instantly emptied of lemons when the whole story of COVID-19 appeared, but the red peppers remained intact, I want to bring this subject into discussion. Let's see… which foods have the highest amount of vitamin C and how much should we consume?

Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin that dissolves in water, so we find it in foods that have a liquid as a carrier , such as fruits and vegetables. The foods richest in vitamin C are not lemons, as most of us knew, but red peppers and kiwis . There is very little vitamin C in some animal products (<= 50mg / 100g), such as beef spleen or lung, but how often do we eat this? I leave below some sources of vitamin C, but it is important to remember that it is found in everything that is raw and fresh:

*Foods*	*Vitamin C quantity / 100g*
Red bell pepper	192mg
Red bell pepper - cooked*	164,3mg
Kiwi	93,2mg
Broccoli	89,2mg
Orange	53,2mg
Broccoli - frozen, uncooked	56,4mg
Lemon	53mg
Pineaple	47,8mg
Broccoli - cooked*	37mg
Mango	36,4mg
Grapefruit	34,4mg
Spinach	28,1mg
Blackberries	21mg
Raspberries	26,2mg
Banana	8,7mg

Data from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
* Depends on cooking time, freshness and quality of the vegetable / fruit

Vitamin C is the most sensitive of all vitamins. To benefit from it, be careful not to expose it for a long time to light, oxygen, or heat . So we shouldn't look badly at it, because it gets scared and runs away . Conclusion? Vitamin C is most certainly taken from raw foods, fresh foods , as we may be left with 0 amount from a cooked product (such as soups), depending on its exposure time to heat. Steaming vegetables is a bit safer from this point of view, so I recommend using this method at the expense of boiling or baking.

It is important to know that we do NOT store vitamin C in the body , and this is the case with all water-soluble vitamins (the others are Bs, as a reminder). So the body uses as much as it needs from the daily portion, and the rest is eliminated through the urine . Therefore, we cannot intoxicate ourselves with vitamin C, in case we take more than we need, but cannot gather reserves for the next day either…

Recommended dose for healthy people differs by age and gender . Moreover, pregnant or breastfeeding women need more vitamin C, because breast milk also contains it for its antioxidant effect. Likewise, people who smoke, drink alcohol, or suffer from certain diseases (e.g., kidney and cardiovascular) need an increased dose of vitamin C. As an idea, alcohol consumption increases the loss of vitamin C through urine by up to 50% , and smoking increases oxidative stress in the body, which also increases the need for antioxidants.

Why do we need vitamin C?

Many of us probably know it as good for preventing or treating colds . Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with a strong ability to protect the body's immune system. It is, in fact, the most studied subject. It was found that supplementation with 2g of vitamin C during a cold reduced its duration by 21% for adults and 26% for children. But it is important to remember that we need to keep our daily vitamin C level high regardless of the period…

Vitamin C increases the intestinal absorption of iron in the body. So if you have problems with low iron levels, fill your fridge with fruits and vegetables. Obviously, vitamin C can be supplemented, but it is preferable to cover the recommended amount with real food, because fruits and vegetables contain other elements that contribute to better absorption of nutrients in the body and good health in general.

Another important role is to prevent LDL (bad cholesterol) deposits in the walls of blood vessels , being helped by vitamin E in this process. Moreover, vitamin C also supports neurological functions , so it has a role in the harmonious development of the brain and, later, helps to keep it healthy. Do we want to have beautiful skin? Well, vitamin C is also essential in the production of collagen.

Curiously, but the level of vitamin C in the body is inversely proportional to body weight , especially among obese people. Because vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of carnitine, a compound needed to use fatty acids as energy, it is possible that low levels of vitamin C contribute to increased fat deposits . And one study found that people with low vitamin C levels ( 34micromoles / liter). .

Recommendations

- If you have a high level of iron in your body, first check with a doctor how much vitamin C you can supplement (if supplementation is absolutely necessary). This can further increase the level of iron in your body, which can become dangerous. If, on the other hand, you have low iron levels, then you SHOULD take it with vitamin C.

- Include fresh and raw vegetables and fruits in your daily diet (at least 50% of your plate) , and if you cook them, choose a less invasive method, such as steam cooking. We learned that vegetables go perfectly with that piece of meat (or a vegan protein source ;) ) for lunch.

- Don't call on supplements right away ! Various studies have shown that maximum bioavailability of vitamin C occurred at 200 milligrams when administered as a single dose, but at 500 milligrams, bioavailability decreased and excess vitamin C was excreted in the urine.

- Food is the key! Eat as colorful and fresh foods as possible day, after day, after day…

There is more to be said about vitamin C and how important it is for our health. If you want to know more, I leave below the most important sources from which I got my information.