Vitamin C plays a role in controlling infections and healing wounds, and is a powerful antioxidant that can neutralise harmful free radicals.
Loading up on this vitamin was a practice spurred by Linus Pauling in the 1970s, a double Nobel laureate and self-proclaimed champion of vitamin C who promoted daily megadoses (the amount in 12 to 24 oranges) as a way to prevent colds and some chronic diseases.
Even before its discovery in 1932, nutrition experts recognized that something in citrus fruits could prevent scurvy, a disease that killed as many as two million sailors between 1500 and 1800.
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that it dissolves in water and is delivered to the body's tissues but is not well stored, so it must be taken daily through food or supplements.
Below is a list of foods that are good natural sources for Vitamin C, along with the amount of Vitamin C per 100 grams. The recommended daily amount for vitamin C is 75 milligrams (mg) a day for women and 90 mg a day for men, although these are minimum amounts and usually megadoses are needed to be effective.
(source: Harvard School
of
Public Health)
Vitamins come in many forms, including tablets, liquid, powder, chewables, gummies, and even IV injections. Here are a few recommended products. Click on any product image for details and prices:
