It is a commonly held belief that citrus fruit is the best source of vitamin C amongst foods. However, while citrus fruit does contain high amounts of the vitamin, other foods with a lower vitamin C content can make up a larger part of the diet and could therefore be argued to be more important sources of vitamin C. Vegetables generally contain high amounts of vitamin C, as it is used by all plants during normal metabolic function. Green leafy vegetables can make up a considerable amount of total vitamin C in a healthy diet. Kale, collards, turnip greens, spinach, rape, cabbage, and snap beans all contain vitasmin C although the content of vitamin C varies with growing conditions and storage. In terms of storages, vitamin C content tends to decline from the point that the crop is picked until it is eaten. Wilting results in a rapid loss of vitamin C as does water loss. Eating crops as fresh as possible is therefore an important consideration if the vitamin C content of the diet is required to be optimised from food sources.
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