You need plenty of foods rich in this vitamin, also known as ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is utilized by your body for the production of collagen forming connective tissue; this vitamin will help if you have bone fracturing, sore or bleeding gums, or wounds that fail to heal. When our bodies evolved, they were not designed to store vitamin C for any length of time (because fruits and vegetables were plentiful), so the body needs vitamin C daily. The adrenal gland has a high level of vitamin C, and it is known that, in stressful situations, as the production of hormones goes up in this gland, its level of vitamin C goes down. Oral contraceptives, or overuse of laxatives, can decrease your absorption of vitamin C, with consequent reduced levels of this vitamin. Osteoporosis can develop from such nutritional disorders as scurvy, vitamin C deficiency; although only a few elderly people develop scurvy, many more have low reserves of this vitamin.
How much vitamin C do you need each day? The recommendation of the D.H.S.S. for adults is 30mg, with 60mg for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
There are between 50-60 mg of vitamin C in 0.5 cup of orange juice or one medium orange. Orange-flavoured breakfast drinks can be misleading, with many advertised as having more vitamin C than orange juice, but they have little else but vitamin C and sugar, with more calories. And the ‘juice’ in which fruit is canned, usually a sugar-water syrup, has no vitamin value. Real unsweetened orange juice has vitamin C plus other natural minerals and nutrients, so check the labels.
Other produce with this vitamin are: citrus fruits and natural citrus juices, blackcurrants, kiwifruit, canned pineapple juice and cranberry juice cocktail (but little in prune juice). Potatoes, especially baked and eaten with the skin, contribute substantial amounts of vitamin C. Other good sources are fresh picked tomatoes, tomato juice, green peppers and fresh green leafy vegetables.
Since water-soluble vitamin C is easily destroyed by heating, fruits and vegetables not eaten raw should be lightly cooked or steamed for a short time only. Carefully refrigerate leafy vegetables and don’t leave them soaking in water before cooking. Generally, more vitamin C is retained if cooking is in a microwave oven, well covered, than on a conventional stove-top.
Canned fruits and vegetables have generally lost some of their vitamin C through processing; some brands may have extra ascorbic acid added to make up the losses. Check the labels. Frozen fruits and vegetables will usually retain good amounts of vitamin C during freezing – but drying to preserve foods will destroy this delicate vitamin.
Small amounts of vitamin C are naturally present in milk, but 25 per cent is destroyed by pasteurization, with further losses in the heat process for UHT milk and sterilization. Don’t leave bottled milk on the doorstep in sunlight – substantial amounts of vitamin C can be lost. Don’t rely on milk alone to supply you with this vitamin.
It has been several years since Dr Linus Pauling wrote his book Vitamin C and the Common Cold advocating megadoses of vitamin C. Many subsequent studies, however, have shown no benefits from this practice. In fact, taking more than 1 gram daily can result in acidic urine and encourage the growth of kidney stones. Some studies show that high dosage vitamin C can change the level of oestrogen in oral contraceptives, according to Dr Daphne A. Roe, Professor of Nutrition at Cornell University, USA.
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