Top 10 Sources of Vitamin C (Including 3 Foods With more than Oranges)

The Health Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps the body maintain healthy tissues and a strong immune system, and it aids in the absorption of iron. Vitamin C is considered a powerful ally if you're trying to avoid or kick a cold or other illness. Together with calcium and iron, it's also an important part of a diet that counteracts lead poisoning.

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adult men is 90 mg and for adult women it's 75 mg, and recent research has called into question the efficacy of vitamin C pills. Get your vitamin C naturally with these top 10 food sources, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You may be surprised to find oranges don't rank No. 1.

Guava

Guava is rich in vitamin C -- one half cup of the fruit contains 188 mg of vitamin C and 56 calories. Eat the fruit raw, or try this recipe for a Hawaiian smoothie.

Red Sweet Pepper

You probably instantly think citrus when you think of immune system-boosting vitamin C, but red sweet pepper offers a solid dose of the nutrient. One half cup of raw red sweet pepper contains 142 mg of vitamin C and 20 calories. If you cook the veggie, a half cup offers 116 mg of vitamin C.

You can always chop up a red pepper into salads and for crudités, but for a different take on the brightly hued vegetable, try these recipes:

Roasted Red-Pepper and Herb Dip
Bistro Pizza
Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Butter Tapenade
Farm Stand Succotash
Garlicky Spinach with Red Peppers and Golden Raisins
Red Pepper and Potato Home Fries
Grilled Vegetable Tostadas with Fresh Salsa
Rotelle with Ratatouille
Boneless Chicken with Potato-Pepper Hash
Boneless Bruschetta with Roasted Peppers
Bell Peppers with Summer Vegetables
Arugula Salad with Grilled Radicchio
Green Tagliatelle with Red Hot Pepper Sauce
Vegetable Stew Nicoise with Tofu
Turkey Curry
Madras Lentil Curry
Roasted Vegetables and Linguine Salad
Jerk Chicken Kabobs

Kiwi

Kiwi -- the fruit, not the bird that's the national symbol of New Zealand -- is rich in vitamin C. One medium kiwi contains 70 mg of the nutrient and 46 calories.

The fruit is typically eaten raw, but you could always attempt to make New Zealand's national dessert, the Pavlova, which is often topped with kiwi.

Recipes:
Blueberry-Kiwi Tarts
Fruit Salad for a Little Guy

Orange

Who doesn't want an injection of acidic orange when in need of a vitamin C boost? You're justified. One medium orange contains 70 mg of vitamin C and 62 calories.

If you prefer it in liquid form, 3/4 cup of orange juice contains 61-93 mg of vitamin C and 79-84 calories.

Green Sweet Pepper

Green sweet peppers offer 60 mg of vitamin C per half cup, with only 15 calories. When cooked, the vegetable provides 51 mg of vitamin C.

Grapefruit Juice

Grapefruit juice provides almost the same amount of vitamin C as green peppers: 3/4 cup has 50-70 mg vitamin C and 71-86 calories.

Vegetable Juice Cocktail

Drinking your vegetables provides plenty of nutrients, including a vitamin C punch (and, if your veggie juice is tomato-based, a healthy dose of lycopene, a disease-fighting phytonutrient). You'll get 50 mg of vitamin C and 34 calories in 3/4 cup of juice.

Sub vegetable juice cocktail for tomato juice in this recipe for Fire-Roasted Gazpacho.

Strawberries

Strawberries are full of fiber and antioxidants, including vitamin C. A half cup of strawberries contains 49 mg of the vitamin and 27 calories.

Brussels Sprouts

This veggie may not be the most kid-friendly choice, but it is a true superfood -- packed with both 48 mg of Vitamin C, 300 μg of Vitamin K and just 28 calories.

Recipes:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Prunes

Cantaloupe

One quarter of a medium cantaloupe has 47 mg of vitamin C and 51 calories.

Check out these bright ideas when in the mood for melon.