Foods With More Vitamin C Than An Orange

When it comes to important nutrients, vitamin C is among the most touted. For many people, when they think of the multifaceted vitamin their minds immediately travel to oranges and grapefruit. But there are many other, even more nutrient-stacked sources of vitamin C that you can add to your diet before resorting to citrus fruit.
“Vitamin C has received a great deal of attention, and with good reason. Higher blood levels of vitamin C may be the ideal nutrition marker for overall health,” Dr. Mark Moyad, of the University of Michigan, told WebMD. “The more we study vitamin C, the better our understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health [and] immunity to living longer.”

Because vitamin C is such an essential nutrient, doctors and nutritionists often recommend incorporating it into a healthy routine. Oranges contain about 51.1 milligrams of vitamin C. Grapefruits contain about 38.4 milligrams of vitamin C. If you want to avoid supplements and aren’t too keen on oranges and grapefruit, here are some alternatives that are both healthful and super tasty:

Kale

Kale is among the most trendy superfoods. It’s a great source of fiber, potassium, and B vitamins. Kale also (surprise, surprise) contains more vitamin C than an orange, with one cup of kale holding about 80.4 milligrams of the nutrient.

Papaya

A single papaya contains about 95.6 milligrams of vitamin C. The sweet, tropical fruit is also a great source of cancer-preventing antioxidants and digestion-improving fiber and enzymes.

Kiwi

Kiwi, or “kiwifruit,” is full of healthful nutrients. When incorporated into your diet, kiwi can help reduce heart disease, diabetes, and cancer risk. One kiwi contains about 64 milligrams of vitamin C.

Chili Peppers

This is good news for anyone who loves spice. There’s about 64.7 milligrams of vitamin C in one chili pepper. The peppers are also great for your blood pressure, eye health, and cognitive function.

Pineapple

One cup of pineapple chunks contains about 78.9 milligrams of vitamin C. Pineapples are also great for bone strength, eye health, and digestion.

About the author

Nadia Elysse

US Editorial Team Lead

Nadia leads Culture Trip's U.S. editorial team. She's a law-educated journalist covering culture, sexual health, health care policy, and marijuana legislation. Her work has been featured in a number of publications including Medical Daily and Newsweek.