How Much Vitamin C Should I Take Per Day So It’s Enough And Not Too Much?

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an inexpensive vitamin that people need to stay healthy. Although the daily recommended vitamin C dose is 60 mg, most health experts now agree that it’s not enough and recommend at least 500 milligrams to 1,000mg daily, in addition to eating fruits and vegetables.

There is definitely no danger in taking a 500 or 1000-milligram or tablet. The safe upper limit for vitamin C is considered 2,000 milligrams a day, and there is strong evidence that taking 500 milligrams daily is safe.

Unless you can eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you may need to take vitamin C tablets or capsules. The American Dietetic Association suggests to put more fruits and vegetables into your diet before taking supplements.

They say you should eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and that will give you enough vitamin C along with other vitamins, minerals that are good for disease prevention and overall health.

For most people it is not practical to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables consistently, but taking a once-a-day supplement is safe, effective, and easy to do. To reach 500 milligrams, you would need to consume the following every day:

1 cup (8 ounces) of Cantaloupe (59mg), 1 cup of Orange juice (97mg), 1 cup of cooked Broccoli (74mg), 1/2 cup of red cabbage (40mg), 1/2 cup of green pepper (60mg), 1/2 cup of red pepper (95mg), 1 medium kiwi (70mg) and 1 cup of tomato juice (45mg).

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means the body doesn’t store it. You just get what you need (if you do) from your food. You need vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues. It helps the body make collagen, an important protein used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.