In creating a powerful body defense, one of the most important roles is played by vitamin C, which stimulates the strengthening of immunity. But this is not his only advantage, because he is also an effective antioxidant. Thanks to these properties, it helps to quickly restore strength after excessive loads, and also cleanses the body of accumulated free radicals.
Why is there a lack of vitamin?
Various adverse factors can affect the decrease in vitamin C levels. Among them are exposure to ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) and smoking. By the way, nicotine is an antagonist of this element. This means that with each puff, you lose a certain amount of ascorbic acid in the body. Conversely, by using vitamin C more often, you reduce cravings for cigarettes and the level of accumulated nicotine in the body. The lack of this element leads to frequent colds, and also provokes various ailments. To prevent such situations, you need to know which foods have vitamin C and start using them regularly.
Before starting to study this issue, let's determine the daily requirement of ascorbic acid for people of different ages. For children, it ranges from 30 to 80 mg per day, and for adults from 50 to 130 mg. Of course, during periods of heavy stress, pregnancy, epidemic situations and infectious diseases, as well as when smoking and drinking alcohol, these values increase depending on the situation.
Finding the answer to the question of which foods have vitamin C begins with rose hips. In this case, he is the record holder. For a more detailed introduction, let's take a look at the table below. It shows us which foods contain vitamin C, in mg, per 100 grams.
| Product name | The amount of vitamin C in mg per 100 g |
| Dogrose | 1000 |
| Bell pepper | 250-300 |
| Black currant | 200-220 |
| Kiwi | 180 |
| Any kind of cabbage | 70-110 |
| Spinach, horseradish, wild leek | 60-100 |
| Garlic | 60 |
| Mountain ash, viburnum, wild strawberry | 50-70 |
| Orange, lemon | 40-60 |
It should be noted that with a cold, the vitamin norm increases to 2000 mg per day, during sports, up to 500-600 mg, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding, up to 200-250 mg per day.
Signs of deficiency
If you doubt whether your body needs ascorbic acid or not, pay attention to the list of signs that signal its lack:
- Slow healing of tissues with bruises, wounds.
- Light bruising.
- Hair loss, sometimes teeth.
- Increased irritability, the formation of edema.
Be sure to remember the values from the previous table. When you know which foods have vitamin C, you can improve your health and prevent possible complications.
In addition to ascorbic acid, there are others, no less important for the body, substances and elements. In order to familiarize yourself, you can pick up the information yourself, from which it is clear how much vitamins are contained in the products. A table is the most convenient format for studying, so it is easier to use it. You can supplement it yourself, relying on special publications.
Now you know which foods have vitamin C, which means you should not be afraid for your health! Good luck!