From sorbet to Spam — ten surprising ways to load up on vitamin C

WE LOVE vitamin C, it seems — it’s one of the most purchased supplements in the UK ( coming third after vitamin D and multivitamins), according to a recent survey by the Grocer magazine.

Found mostly in fruit and veg, vitamin C is an antioxidant — i.e. it helps protect our cells from damage, working to neutralise harmful molecules that are a by-product of our metabolism, as well as environmental factors such as pollution.

Vitamin C also helps to maintain our bones, cartilage, skin and blood vessels and plays a key role in wound healing and immunity. some studies suggest that it may also play a vital role in keeping depression at bay, improving cardiovascular health and slowing down cognitive decline as we age.

Vitamin C is not manufactured or stored by the body so we need to have it daily. But supplements may not be the best way to get it.

A recent study in the British Journal of nutrition that compared the effects on mood, sleep and activity levels in people given either vitamin C- rich kiwi fruit, supplements or a placebo every day, found those eating the kiwi reported the most improvements in just four days. the people taking supplements experienced only marginal mood improvements up until day 12, when their vitamin C was at an optimal level.

‘Getting your vitamin C from food sources is always better, because you’ll also ingest a raft of other beneficial nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals that you won’t find in a supplement,’ says dietitian Clare thornton-Wood, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.

In the UK the recommended daily amount (RDA) for adults is 40 mg of vitamin C a day, which you can get from eating a large orange.

THis level was set in the 1940s, based on the findings of a UK study which was aimed at establishing the minimum amount of vitamin C a wartime population needed to avoid scurvy.

some experts believe that the RDA of vitamin C should now be as much as 200 mg a day for real health benefits. ‘in the u.s. the RDA is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women — significantly more than ours,’ says nichola ludlam-raine, a dietitian and founder of nicsnutrition.com.

‘As it is water-soluble, any excess vitamin C that’s not needed would be removed in urine.’

taking too much (the NHS says up to 1,000 mg a day is unlikely to cause harm) in supplement form can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea and flatulence for some people and has been linked to the development of kidney stones.

it’s not just which foods we eat; how we prepare them matters, too. When a vitamin C- rich food is boiled, for instance, as much as 50 per cent of the vitamin content can be lost, says nichola ludlam-raine.

‘For optimal nutrient retention, choose fresh, frozen or canned produce,’ she adds. this is because frozen and canned fruit and veg are often preserved quickly after harvest — just avoid anything in salty water or sugary syrups.

she adds: ‘Avoid boiling or baking fruit and veg, and use methods that limit contact with heat and water, such as stir-frying or steaming.’

to find the vitamin C you need, use our guide for some of the best — often surprising — sources.