How to add more Vitamin C to your diet and everyday routine
Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that can do everything from strengthening cells to improving your hair health.
Are you getting enough vitamin C in your daily diet?
Vitamin C, also sometimes referred to as L-ascorbic acid, is a vitamin found in foods such as red peppers, oranges, grapefruits, kiwis, broccoli, strawberries and Brussels sprouts, and is also available to consume via a dietary supplement, according to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).
“Our body doesn’t make vitamin C, so it’s important to eat vitamin C-rich foods in our diets,” says dietitian Jamie Nadeau, RD. Here’s how to make sure you’re getting enough without overdoing it.
How much vitamin C per day?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C depends on a handful of factors, including age and sex (for adults):
- 0 to 6 months: 40 mg
- 7 to 12 months: 50 mg
- 1 to 3 years: 15 mg
- 4 to 8 years: 25 mg
- 9 to 13: 45 mg
- 14 to 18 years: 75 mg for men, 65 mg for women
- 19 years and older: 90 mg for men, 75 mg for women (85 mg when pregnant and 120 mg when lactating)
- Smokers also need 35 mg more per day compared to nonsmokers
For reference, a medium orange contains about 70 mg of vitamin C, so getting in your recommended daily amount is less work than you’d think.
What does vitamin C do? What is vitamin C good for?
But what’s the big deal about vitamin C, anyway? Research has shown it to be beneficial to our health in a variety of ways, helping take care of your skin and prevent serious health conditions.
In terms of benefits, “vitamin C is essential for normal growth, development and function of our bodies,” Nadeau says. “It’s needed for forming collagen which is incredibly important for supporting our skin integrity and ligaments. Vitamin C also helps heal wounds, repair cartilage and even aids in the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that can help neutralize free radicals, which may increase risk of cancer and heart disease.”
While vitamin C is commonly thought of as a cure to the common cold, research is mixed and doesn’t show a strong correlation between consumption and alleviating symptoms faster.
But not getting enough vitamin C can cause scurvy (yes, the disease that plagued historical sailors and pirates), a condition that causes fatigue, connective tissue weakness and weakened blood vessels, per the ODS.
How much vitamin C is too much?
While vitamin C does offer health benefits, consuming too much in one day can actually cause health issues, rather than help prevent them. The ODS recommends adults avoid taking more than 2,000 mg of vitamin C in a single day to avoid side effects.
“Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, stomach ache, heartburn, esophagitis and even kidney stones,” Nadeau adds.
The good news, Nadeau notes, is that taking too much usually only happens when you take too many vitamin C supplements, rather than just “eating vitamin C through whole foods,” which is the preferred method of consumption for most nutrition experts. And toxicity is low, meaning the issues overconsumption could cause are unpleasant but usually not serious, according to the ODS.