Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C

Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient required for the maintenance of many body tissues, including skin, blood vessels, bones, and cartilage. Vitamin C is also essential for wound healing. (1,2)

Vitamin C helps protect cells against oxidative stress, which in turn provides protection against certain diseases, including cancer. (1,3)

Vitamin C, like zinc and vitamin A, also helps support your immune system. (4,5,6)

High vitamin C foods include guavas, bell peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges, papayas, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, and snow peas. The current daily value (DV) for vitamin C is 90mg. (7)

Below is a list of high vitamin C foods ranked by a common serving size. Use the nutrient ranking of over 200 foods high in vitamin C to see the foods highest in vitamin C by nutrient density (per gram), or see rankings of fruits high in vitamin C, and vegetables high in vitamin C.

High Vitamin C Foods

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A printable list of the top 10 foods highest in vitamin C.

Vitamin C Foods by Nutrient Density (Vitamin C per Gram)

FoodServingVitamin C
1. Acerola Cherry + 100 grams 1864% DV
(1678mg)
2. Dried Herbs (Coriander) + 100 grams 630% DV
(567mg)
3. Rose Hips + 100 grams 473% DV
(426mg)
4. Guavas + 100 grams 254% DV
(228mg)
5. Sweet Yellow Peppers + 100 grams 204% DV
(184mg)
6. Black Currants + 100 grams 201% DV
(181mg)
7. Thyme + 100 grams 178% DV
(160mg)
8. Red Chilies + 100 grams 160% DV
(144mg)
10. Kiwifruit + 100 grams 103% DV
(93mg)

Other Vitamin C Rich Foods

FoodServingVitamin C
1. Litchis (Lychees) + per cup 151% DV
(136mg)
2. Green Chillies + 1 pepper 121% DV
(109mg)
3. Kohlrabi + 1 cup 93% DV
(84mg)
4. Parsley + per cup 89% DV
(80mg)
5. Orange Juice + per 8oz cup 80% DV
(72mg)
6. Bitter Melon + per cup 45% DV
(41mg)
7. Starfruit (Carambola) + per cup 41% DV
(37mg)
8. Garden Cress + 1 cup 38% DV
(35mg)
9. Jalapeno Peppers + 1 pepper 18% DV
(17mg)
10. Saffron + 1 tbsp 2% DV
(2mg)

Vitamin C Requirements By Age and Gender

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C ranges from 15mg to 120mg per day. The daily value for vitamin C is 90mg per day. (7)

Life StageRDA
Infants*
0-6 months old40mg
7-12 months old50mg
Children
1-3 years old15mg
4-8 years old25mg
Males
9-13 years old45mg
14-18 years old75mg
19-50 years old90mg
50+ years old90mg
Females
9-13 years old45mg
14-18 years old65mg
19-50 years old75mg
50+ years old75mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old80mg
18+ years old85mg
Lactation
14-18 years old115mg
18+ years old120mg
*The amounts for children less than 12 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Lane DJ, Chikhani S, Richardson V, Richardson DR. Mitochondria, Energy and Cancer: The Relationship with Ascorbic Acid Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013 Jun;1833(6):1527-41. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2013.02.010. Epub 2013 Feb 26. 23481043
  2. Sinclair PR, Gorman N, Shedlofsky SI, Honsinger CP, Sinclair JF, Karagas MR, Anderson KE. Role of Vitamin C in Skin Diseases J Lab Clin Med. 1997 Aug;130(2):197-201. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2143(97)90096-2. 9280147
  3. Wu SJ, Ng LT, Lin CC. L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) induces the apoptosis of B16 murine melanoma cells via a caspase-8-independent pathway Eur J Pharmacol. 2005 Aug 22;518(2-3):96-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2005.06.021. 16054126
  4. Ströhle A, Wolters M, Hahn A. Vitamin C and Immune Function Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2011 Feb;10(1):54-63. doi: 10.2174/187152811794352105. 21184650
  5. Yamamoto M. The role of vitamin A and related retinoids in immune function World Rev Nutr Diet. 1991;64:58-84. doi: 10.1159/000418570. 2028624
  6. Prasad AS. Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells Exp Gerontol. 2008 May;43(5):370-7. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2007.10.013. Epub 2007 Nov 1. 18054190
  7. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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