Vitamin C is one of the more known vitamins essential to our bodies. As it is advertised to be in a lot of different items, especially juices such as orange juice or even in a lot of skincare products. Yet, do you know what it actually is and what it does inside your body? (I bet you didn’t) Vitamin C is a water-soluble also known as ascorbic acid that aids in the formation of connective tissues as well as act as a preventative in oxidation of cellular constituents. The best way to know you are getting enough of it in your daily diet is to follow the recommended daily intake.

The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin C for each are are:

Infants

• 0-6 months: 25 mg/day
• 7-12 months: 30 mg/day

Children/Teens

• 1-8 years: 35 mg/day
• 9-18 years: 40 mg/day

Adults

• 19+ years: 45 mg/day

During Pregnancy

• 14-18 years: 55 mg/day
• 19+ years: 60 mg/day

During Lactation

• 14-18 years: 80 mg/day
• 19+ years: 86 mg/day

Vitamin C Toxicity

There is not a functional high or toxicity limit established for vitamin C, although 1,000 mg in a day is an advisable limit.

Vitamin C Deficiency

Now, an excessive amount of vitamin C is considered to be not harmful to the body, but a deficiency can cause some very detrimental problems to your health and wellbeing if you are not careful. It is a little hard to become very deficient in vitamin C, but it is not impossible. Deficiency symptoms include scurvy, slow healing, poor bone growth, rough bumpy skin, easy bruising, painful/swollen joints, and poor immunity.

Foods Containing Vitamin C

It is best to get your vitamin intake through natural food sources and you can get help from high quality supplements such as a multivitamin.

Here is a list of foods with their Daily Values of vitamin C.

Vegetables

• Sweet red pepper (raw, 1/2 cup) – 106% DV
• Sweet green pepper (raw, 1/2 cup) – 67% DV
• Broccoli (cooked, 1/2 cup) – 57% DV
• Brussels sprouts (cooked, 1/2 cup) – 53% DV
• Broccoli (raw, 1/2 cup) – 43% DV
• Cabbage (cooked, 1/2 cup) – 31% DV
• Cauliflower (raw, 1/2 cup) – 29% DV
• Potato (baked, 1 medium) – 19% DV
• Spinach (cooked, 1/2 cup) – 10% DV
• Green peas (frozen, cooked, 1/2 cup) – 9% DV

Fruits

• Orange juice (3/4 cup) – 103% DV
• Orange (1 medium) – 78% DV
• Grapefruit juice (3/4 cup) – 78% DV
• Kiwifruit (1 medium) – 71% DV
• Strawberries (fresh, sliced, 1/2 cup) – 54% DV
• Grapefruit (1/2 medium) – 43% DV
• Cantaloupe (1/2 cup) – 32% DV
• Tomato (raw, 1 medium) – 19% DV

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To learn more in depth you can check out these websites for more information or even visit Dr.Brooke’s website!

• 15 Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin C Deficiency (healthline.com)
• Vitamin C | Nutrient Reference Values (nrv.gov.au)
• Vitamin C – Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)

For more personalized information check out:

• The Mind Body Reset 
• If you’d like to receive 15% off all of your supplements, you can check out and sign up for Dr.Brooke’s online dispensary at us.fullscript.com/welcome/drbrookestuart