Vitamin Supplements

Before you decide that you need to take vitamin supplements or change the way you eat, you should know where you stand and how much improvement you really need. To help you analyze your current diet, we’ve developed a system you can use to calculate your approximate vitamin C intake. Following is a list of vitamin C food sources, arranged according to the percentage of our Optimal Daily Allowance of vitamin C contained in them. Our ODA ranges from 250 to 1,000 mg; this self-test has been devised for an ODA of 500 mg, which works for most people. Since half a cup of broccoli contains 49 mg of vitamin C and the ODA for vitamin C is 500 mg, we’ve listed broccoli in the 10 Percent category. (We have erred on the conservative side when rounding off percentages.)

To determine your average daily intake of vitamin C, start by keeping an accurate food diary for three or four days. The longer you keep the diary, the more accurate your calculations will be. Write down exactly what you eat and drink, together with an estimate of the serving size. Don’t concern yourself with precisely how much vitamin C each food item contains; simply use the list to find the food item and the percentage of the ODA that it provides. Then add up all these percentages to see if you reach 100 percent each day.

If a particular item in your meals is missing from this list (it would be impossible to include every food item here), use the nutritional information on the food packaging. Most packaged foods are required to list their vitamin contents on the label.

Remember that we have used 500 mg as the ODA in putting together this chart. If you have decided that your optimal dose falls elsewhere in our recommended range (from 250 to 1,000 mg), take that into account when calculating percentages. For example, based on the chart, a medium orange contains 10 percent of the vitamin C you need to reach a 500 mg ODA. But if your optimal dose is 1,000 mg, that orange meets only 5 percent of your RDA. If your ODA is 250 mg, the orange is in the 20 Percent category for you.

After you’ve determined how much vitamin C you are obtaining from your diet each day, you can calculate whether you need to take supplements to reach the ODA. Let’s say that you determine that you are getting 30 percent of your vitamin C target through diet alone. You are consuming 150 mg of vitamin C in your diet (30 percent x 500 mg = 150 mg). To make up the difference, we would advise you to supplement your diet with 350 mg of vitamin C in tablet form (500 mg — 150 mg = 350 mg).

Because vitamin C is commonly sold in doses of 250, 500, and 1,000 mg, you may have difficulty getting supplements of the precise amount you want. We recommend that you come as close to your target as possible without taking several tablets to make things come out even. If you need a 350 mg supplement, you can go a little higher and take a 500 mg tablet, which will more than meet your needs without any real risk.

Our Recommendations

HOW MUCH VITAMIN C DO YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL HEALTH?

We advise that you consume 250 to 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day. A daily intake of 500 mg will meet the optimal needs of most people.

WHAT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF VITAMIN C YOU NEED TO TAKE?

If you have poor dietary habits, take multiple medications, have diabetes or an infectious disease, are recovering from surgery, smoke, are exposed to environmental pollutants, or are pregnant or breast-feeding, you should move toward the high end of our recommended intake of 250 to 1,000 mg per day.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONSUME THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF VITAMIN C THROUGH DIET ALONE?

To consume 500 mg of vitamin C per day through diet alone, you would have to drink five 8 ounce glasses of orange juice or ten 8 ounce glasses of grapefruit juice, for example. Most people find that it is more practical to obtain part of their vitamin C requirements through supplements.

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