DESPITE recent, widely shared online posts about the supposed 'miracle' wonders of vitamin C in high doses, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that this vitamin – or any other supplement – can prevent or treat Covid-19.
Indeed, the NHS website warns that taking large amounts of vitamin C (more than 1,000mg per day) can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea and flatulence.
However, vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is one of the most important vitamins for overall health. Not only does it support your joints and help repair connective tissues, it's useful in boosting the immune system.
:: How much vitamin C do we actually need?
"The recommended amount of vitamin C is 40mg a day for adults aged 19-64 years – equivalent to about an orange a day," says Aisling Moran, nutritional scientist at Thriva (thriva.co).
Severe lack of vitamin C can cause scurvy, a disease that causes swollen gums and bleeding from the skin, rare in the UK, although the NHS says people on restrictive fad diets, with few vitamin C sources, are at higher risk. Smoking can also reduce how much vitamin C your body absorbs from food.
:: There are lots of surprisingly inexpensive dietary sources
It is possible to get all the vitamin C you need from a balanced diet, although very little of the nutrient is stored in the body, so you need to be consuming it each day.
When we think of vitamin C-rich foods, we often think of oranges – an average sized one will yield around 70mg of the vitamin, a small one around 51mg.
But it's a good idea to keep your diet varied and the vitamin is found in many other common fruits and veggies too. Each of these contains more vitamin C per 100g than oranges:
1. Broccoli
While 100g of oranges contain roughly 53mg of vitamin C, the same weight of broccoli yields around 89mg. As well being a great pairing with your Sunday roast, broccoli is perfect for a quick stir fry with other vegetables.
2. Red pepper
Red pepper offers around 128mg of vitamin C per 100g – and this fabulous fruit is also a great source of vitamins A, E and K, which support eye, nerve and bone health respectively.
They too are great in stir fries or try chopping them up and roasting them in the oven with butternut squash and red onion. "They're also super tasty when stuffed with a herby breadcrumb mix and baked in the oven," says Dr Emma Derbyshire, nutritionist for the Health & Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS.org).
3. Kiwi fruit
In 100g of kiwi, you'll find around 93mg of vitamin C, and eating just one of these little beauties delivers around 64mg. They offer vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium too, and also contain a good amount of disease fighting antioxidants.
"If you're getting bored of just eating kiwi fruit straight out of its skin, try putting it in a smoothie. Blend together either milk or a plant-based alternative, with a satsuma, banana, a spoonful of live yogurt (which is a probiotic) and a teaspoon of cinnamon for extra sweetness," suggests Derbyshire.
