Vitamin C - ascorbic acerbic - Good Sources of Nutrients

The U.S. RDA given is for adults (except pregnant or lactating women) and children over 4 years of age.

This is one in a series of fact sheets containing information to aid you select foods that provide adequate each day amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber as you follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines are--

* Eat a variety of Foods

* Maintain Desirable Weight

* Avoid Too much Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol

* Eat Foods next to Adequate Starch and Fiber

* Avoid Too Much Sugar

* Avoid Too Much Sodium

* If you Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

What Is Meant By a Good Food Source

A good food source of vitamin C contains a substantial amount of vitamin C in relation to its calorie content and contributes at most minuscule 10 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (U.S. RDA) for vitamin C in a selected serving size. The U.S. RDA for vitamin C is 60 milligrams per afternoon.1

The U.S. RDA for vitamin C is the amount of the vitamin used as a standard in nutrition labeling of foods. This allowance is based on the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for 24 sex-age category set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. The 1989 RDA has be set at 60 milligrams per day for women and men 19 to 50 years of age.

Where Do Women Get Vitamin C?

As you can see, in 1985 and 1986, 67 percent of the vitamin C in the diets of women come from fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits and tomatoes contributed almost half of the vitamin C provided by the fruits and vegetables group. Almost adjectives of the vitamin C supplied by the fats, sweets, and beverages group come from beverages. Foods that contain small amounts of vitamin C but are not considered good sources can contribute significant amounts of vitamin C to an individual's diet if these foods are eat often or surrounded by large amounts.

Why do we stipulation vitamin C?

Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, is important surrounded by forming collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessel. It also helps to aver capillaries, bones, and teeth and aids contained by the absorption of iron.

Do we achieve enough vitamin C?

According to recent USDA surveys, average intake of vitamin C by women 19 to 50 years of age be over the RDA for vitamin C. Women tended to consume smaller number than men of the same age. Most nutrition scientists believe that in attendance are no known advantages contained by consuming excessive amounts of vitamin C.

How can we get adequate vitamin C?

Eating a variety of foods that contain vitamin C is the best route to get an modest amount. Healthy individuals who eat a impartial diet rarely requirement supplements. The list of foods will comfort you select those that are good sources of vitamin C as you follow the Dietary Guidelines. The record of food sources was derived from alike nutritive value of foods table used to analyze information for recent food consumption surveys of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service.

How to Prepare Foods to Retain Vitamin C

Vitamin C can be readily lost from foods during preparation, cooking, or storage. To retain vitamin C:

* Serve fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible.

* Steam, boil, or simmer foods contained by a minimal amount of water, or microwave them for the shortest time possible.

* Cook potatoes contained by their skins.

* Refrigerate prepared juices, and store them for no more than 2 to 3 days.

* Store cut untouched fruits and vegetables in an airtight container and refrigerate - do not soak or store in river. Vitamin C will be dissolved in the water.

What around fortified foods?

Some juices not customarily a source of vitamin C, such as grape and apple, have vitamin C added. A 3/4-cup (juice glass) serving of these fortified juice may provide 40 percent or more of the U.S. RDA for vitamin C. Check the label for the exact amount. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is added to frozen peaches to prevent discoloration.

Most ready-to-eat cereal are fortified with vitamin C. Fortified ready-to-eat cereal usually contain at least 25 percent of the U.S. RDA for vitamin C. Since cereal vary, check the sticky label on the package for the percentage of the U.S. RDA for a specific cereal.

What is a serving?

The serving sizes used on the schedule of good sources are one and only estimates of the amounts of food you might eat. The amount of nutrient within a serving depends on the weight of the serving. For example, 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable contains more vitamin C than 1/2 cup of impossible to tell apart vegetable served raw, because a serving of the cooked vegetable weigh more. Therefore, the cooked vegetable may appear on the list while the organic form does not. The raw vegetable provides the nutrient - but of late not enough contained by a 1/2-cup serving to be considered a good source.