Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the most widely recognized vitamin, and most people’s understanding of it stops at immune support and orange juice. The immune connection is real but overstated in popular culture — vitamin C supports immune function, but megadosing it at the first sign of a cold produces modest effects at best. What it actually does across the body is broader and more interesting than the cold remedy reputation suggests.
Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, the structural protein that holds skin, tendons, blood vessels, and connective tissue together. That’s not a cosmetic point — collagen integrity affects wound healing, joint health, and cardiovascular tissue. Scurvy, the severe deficiency disease historically associated with sailors on long voyages without fresh food, is essentially connective tissue breakdown, which gives a sense of how foundational adequate vitamin C is to basic structural function.
It’s also a potent antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals that contribute to cellular damage over time. And it significantly improves the absorption of non-heme iron — the form of iron found in plant foods — which makes it practically relevant for anyone eating a plant-heavy diet. Eating vitamin C-rich foods alongside iron-rich plant foods is one of the more impactful simple dietary habits for people who don’t eat much meat.
Unlike most animals, humans can’t synthesize vitamin C — it has to come from food. The good news is that it’s abundant in fruits and vegetables, and deficiency is uncommon in people eating any meaningful amount of fresh produce. It’s water-soluble and not stored in significant quantities, so regular intake matters, but the bar for meeting needs is low for most people.
Reference Card
Vitamin type: Water-soluble Pillar: Nourish
What it does for you
- Essential for collagen production — skin, connective tissue, wound healing, joint and cardiovascular health
- Supports immune function
- Acts as an antioxidant — helps protect cells from damage over time
- Significantly improves absorption of iron from plant foods
Where to get it
- Bell peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, papaya, mango, tomato
Considerations
- Water-soluble — not stored in significant amounts; needs to come from food regularly
- Heat and prolonged cooking degrade vitamin C — raw or lightly cooked sources retain more
- Eating vitamin C-rich foods alongside plant-based iron sources meaningfully improves iron absorption
- Deficiency is uncommon in people eating regular fruits and vegetables
Signs your intake might be low
- Slow wound healing
- Fatigue and low energy
- Gums that bleed easily
- Skin that bruises more easily than usual
Common myths
- High-dose vitamin C supplements prevent or cure colds — the evidence for this is modest at best; adequate intake supports normal immune function, but megadosing provides little additional benefit for most people
- You need orange juice for vitamin C — bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi, and broccoli all contain more vitamin C per serving than orange juice, without the sugar load