Discuss food sources for vitamin C: What foods are the best sources? What other foods can be important sources? What foods are poor sources?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Citrus fruits are justly famous for being rich in vitamin C, but other fruits and vegetables also are in the same league. A half cup of broccoli, bell pepper, or strawberries provides more than 50 mg of the vitamin. Because vitamin C is vulnerable to heat, raw fruits and vegetables usually have a higher nutrient density than their cooked counterparts. Similarly, because vitamin C is readily destroyed by oxygen, foods and juices should be stored properly and consumed within a week of opening. The potato is an important source of vitamin C, not because one potato by itself meets the daily need but because potatoes are such a common staple that they make significant contributions.
Grains, milk and milk products (especially breast milk), and most protein foods are notoriously poor sources of vitamin C. Organ meets (liver, kidneys, and others) and raw meats contain some vitamin C, but most people don’t eat large quantities of these foods. Raw meats and fish contribute enough vitamin C to be significant sources in parts of Alaska, Canada, and Japan, but elsewhere fruits and vegetables are necessary to supply sufficient vitamin C.
Because of vitamin C’s antioxidant property, food manufacturers sometimes add a variation of vitamin C to some beverages and most cured meats, such as luncheon meats, to prevent oxidation and spoilage. This compound safely preserves these foods, but it does not have vitamin C activity in the body.