Food-based Approaches to Meeting Vitamin and Mineral Needs - Vitamin C

Reference from the joint report of FAO/WHO expert consultation on Human Vitamins and Minerals verbatim. (Chapter 2)

A real gain in vitamin C intake can be achieved by including citrus fruit or other foods rich in ascorbic acid in the diet. For example, an orange or a small amount of other vitamin C-rich fruit (60 g of edible portion) provides the recommended ascorbic acid density. Adding an orange to a potato-based diet increases the level of vitamin C threefold. Other good vitamin C food sources are guava, amla, kiwi, cranberries, strawberries, papaya, mango, melon, cantaloupe, spinach, Swiss chard, tomato, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts.

All these foods, when added to a diet or meal in regular portion sizes, will significantly improve the vitamin C density. Because ascorbic acid is heat labile, minimal cooking (steaming or stir-frying) is recommended to maximise the bio-available nutrient. The significance of consuming vitamin C with meals will be discussed relative to iron absorption (see Chapter 13).