Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a nutrient that is necessary for normal development and growth in the body while providing essential antioxidants that can be used to remove dangerous free radicals from the body. This allows vitamin C to repair tissues throughout the body in addition to numerous other health benefits of consuming this nutrient. It is necessary to have a steady stream of vitamin C in your diet in order to gain these benefits. Read on to learn about more benefits of vitamin C.

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Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C has been found to be used in a variety of bodily functions that incorporate a number of organ systems, further solidifying the idea that it is essential to get an adequate amount of this vitamin in your regular diet.

Food Sources of Vitamin C

Those that are interested in better taking advantage of the health benefits of consuming more vitamin C can use a variety of foods to increase their supply.

Category

Food

Fruits

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Kiwi fruit, watermelon, citrus fruits such as grapefruit or orange, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, papaya, mango and pineapple

Vegetables

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Winter squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, leafy greens, turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, red peppers and green peppers.

Recommended Intakes of Vitamin C

The amount of vitamin C a person needs will vary, so it is important to note the recommended amount of vitamin C for your size as well as the upper tolerable intake for this vitamin so you do not wind up consuming more than you need.

1. RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance

Daily recommended intakes were created by the Food and Nutrition Board as a set of values that could be used by healthy people to determine the most appropriate amount of a nutrient to consume. These are applicable for 97-98 percent of healthy people.

Age

Male

Female

Pregnancy

Lactation

0-6 months

40mg

40mg

_

_

7-12 months

50mg

50mg

_

_

1-3 years

15mg

15mg

_

_

4-8 years

25mg

25mg

_

_

9-13 years

45mg

45mg

_

_

14-18 years

75mg

65mg

80mg

115mg

19 years and older

90mg

75mg

85mg

120mg

2. AI or Adequate Intake

Adequate intake refers to levels that provide an assumed level of nutritional adequacy though evidence is insufficient to determine a specific amount of a vitamin needed to provide results.

In most cases it has been found that consuming 500mg of vitamin C each day is adequate to achieve any necessary health results. In general, it is advised to attempt to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables to get all of the phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals that are necessary to maintain your overall health. Some foods are particularly helpful in providing an adequate intake of vitamin C that is helpful for your body.

Food

Serving Size

Cantaloupe

1 cup: 50mg of vitamin C

Orange Juice

1 cup: 97mg

Cooked Broccoli

1 cup: 74mg

Red Cabbage

½ cup: 40mg

Green Pepper

½ cup: 60mg

Red Pepper

½ cup: 95mg

Kiwi

1 medium: 70mg

Tomato Juice

1 cup: 45mg

3. UL or Tolerable Upper Intake Level

The tolerable uptake level refers to the maximum amount of a substance you can consume in a day before you begin to experience negative health effects.

Age

Male

Female

Pregnancy

Lactation

1-3 years

400mg

400mg

_

_

4-8 years

650mg

650mg

_

_

9-13 years

1200mg

1200mg

_

_

14-18 years

1800mg

1800mg

1800mg

1800mg

19 years and older

2000mg

2000mg

2000mg

2000mg

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