Vitamin C is mainly found in fresh fruit and raw vegetables and is considered a real “fresh vitamin”. Since it is very sensitive to heat, light and storage, it can be lost when food is cooked or stored for a long time.
Due to this characteristic, many seafarers used to suffer from the vitamin C deficiency disease “scurvy” on their long voyages, which often led to death. A ship’s doctor eventually found that seafarers who regularly ate citrus fruits such as lemons did not fall ill. As a result, lemons, oranges and long-lasting sauerkraut were brought on board because they were high in vitamin C.
This is where the term “ascorbic acid” comes from, as it means “without scurvy” in Latin.
The food industry has also recognised the benefits of vitamin C. Vitamin C is often added as a preservative (E300 – E304, E315 and E316) to processed foods such as meat or sausages and it also preserves the natural colour of a food.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supports the immune system
Vitamin C is involved in many metabolic processes in the body, but its most well-known role is to support the immune system and the body’s defences.
However, vitamin C also contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, which is particularly important in stressful situations, for example during and after intensive physical activity. But it is also needed to form connective tissue (collagen), as well as our bones and teeth. And it promotes the absorption of iron from plant foods into our bodies.
Vitamin C in food
Vitamin C is actually found in many animal and plant foods. However, fresh fruit and vegetables are particularly rich sources.
It’s not just the oft-cited citrus fruits that contain the vitamin, but also rosehips, sea-buckthorn berries and the cruciferous vegetables we grow such as kale, broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
However, when preparing food, the vitamin can be lost because it is water-soluble and sensitive to heat. In order to keep vitamin losses to a minimum, fruit and vegetables should only be washed briefly and vegetables should be steamed if possible.
If possible, fruit is best eaten with the skin on, as there is a lot of vitamin C directly under the skin. By the way – the riper the fruit, the more vitamin C it contains.
Unfortunately, the human body cannot store large amounts of vitamin C, so it should be consumed throughout the day. The nutritional supplement Doppelherz system VITAMIN C 750 DEPOT, which releases vitamin C in a time-delayed manner throughout many hours of the day, is therefore a good alternative for everyone who does not eat fruit and vegetables regularly.
Vitamin C in food
Please note:
These values are for guidance only. The vitamin C content of a food cannot be determined precisely, as factors such as soil conditions, climate, harvest time, transport and the type and duration of storage can influence the content.