The importance of vitamin C
Vitamin C plays multiple roles in the body, many of which have been well documented while others remain unclear. They are: Promotes wound healing
• Promotes wound healing
• Promotes development of bones and teeth
• Helps make hormones that regulate nerve function
• Builds resistance to infections
• Enhances absorption of non-heme iron (i.e. iron present in eggs and in non-meat sources such as beans, eggs, vegetables and dried fruits)
• Acts as an antioxidant to protect body cells and tissue from destruction by free radicals
*Free Radicals: Potentially damaging compounds which are formed during normal body processing such as cell respiration and from oxidative reactions involving certain medications, tobacco smoke, environmental pollutants and other chemicals.
Deficiency of vitamin C
Deficiency of vitamin C results in scurvy, a disease with symptoms such as poor wound healing, bleeding gums, loosening of teeth, weakening of bones and skin heamorrhages.
Vitamin C: How much is enough?
The US Adequate Intake (AI) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) - 2000 for Infants and young children are as follows:
Group Age Vitamin C (mg)
Infants 0-6 months 30 AI = 40 mg/day
6-12 months 35 AI = 50 mg/day
Children 1-3 years 40 RDA = 15 mg/day
4-8 years 45 RDA = 25 mg/day
Vitamin C counter
Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of vitamin C. The amount increases with the freshness of the products and decreases with length of cooking time.
Did you know?
Recent studies showed that while oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C, the content of orange juices varies greatly, depending on the storage time. For instance, ready-to-drink juices average at 27 to 65 mg per cup at opening reduce to 0 to 25 mg per cup at expiration about 4 weeks later. It is therefore prudent to purchase ready-to-drink orange juices 3 to 4 weeks before expiration date and consume them within 1 week of opening.
An intake of a serving or two a day of the good sources (*) will easily meet your child's daily vitamin C requirements.
Vitamin C content of some foods
Food item Vitamin C
½ large (150 g) Guava 152 *
1 medium slice (140 mg) Papaya 100 *
1 medium (80 g) Kiwi fruit 80 *
2 glasses Dumex 3-Plus 64 *
1 medium (120 g) Orange 60 *
½ cup (50 g) Broccoli, raw 55 *
2 glasses Dumex 1Plus 51 *
½ cup chopped (50 g) Green pepper, raw 45 *
½ medium (100 g) Star fruit 38 *
½ medium (100 g) Mango 30 *
1 cup (50 g) Strawberries 30 *
1 medium (120 g) Tomato, raw 24
½ cup (35 g) Cabbage, raw 21
1 medium (100 g) banana 10
2 glasses Unfortified milk 4
1 medium (170 g) Pear 3
1 medium (140 g) Apple 3
Maximizing your child's vitamin C intake
• Ensure adequate intake of vitamin C by offering at least 2 to 4 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
• Choose from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
• Minimize loss during preparation and cooking
• Vitamin C is easily lost in processing and cooking. It is unstable when it comes in contact with heat and air and because it is water-soluble, it leaches out of food into water. To minimize loss:
Do's
Store vegetables properly to avoid wilting and drying out
Cook vegetables in large pieces or with their skin intact (e.g. potatoes) and peel them later
Choose cooking methods which minimize loss of vitamins B and C e.g. steaming Finish ready-to-drink juices within one week of opening Keep fruit juices covered and cold to prevent oxygen from destroying vitamin C
Don'ts
Soak vegetables and fruits for long periods of time
Cut vegetables into small pieces as cutting increases surfaces from which vitamin C leaches out
Overcook vegetables Cook vegetables in large amounts of water
Use baking soda when cooking vegetables, as it destroys vitamin C