Foods high in Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid

Vitamin C is a nutrient the body cannot make or store, so it depends on a steady supply from food to build collagen, heal wounds, and support the immune system. It also plays a practical role at the dinner table: eating a vitamin C source alongside plant foods like beans or spinach measurably improves how much iron the body absorbs from that meal, which matters most for people relying heavily on plant-based iron. People who smoke process vitamin C faster and are generally advised to aim higher than average intake. Because the body can't stockpile much of it, getting some most days matters more than hitting a perfect weekly average. The list below ranks foods and ingredients by measured vitamin C content per the amount tested, straight from USDA data. A few entries near the top are fortified low-calorie drink powders or dried herbs and spices used in small quantities, not foods eaten in large portions — read those as concentrated-by-weight rather than practical daily sources. For everyday realistic intake, the fresh produce further down the list, including peppers, citrus fruit, and cruciferous vegetables, better reflects what a normal serving actually contributes. Cooking and prolonged storage reduce vitamin C content, so raw or lightly cooked preparations of the same food generally rank higher than heavily processed or long-cooked versions.

Adults need about 75.0000 MG/day (age 14-18) — NIH ODS (corroborated via WebSearch).