All citrus fruits contain vitamin C. Grapefruit, lemon, lime, and oranges are high in vitamin C. A whole citrus fruits can provide up to 75 of the required daily intake!
How much vitamin C in a lemon or a lime?
Lemons contain 53 mg of vitamin C per 100g, while lemon juice contains 39 mg of vitamin C per 100 g. Therefore, a lemon can provide the 60% of the Daily Value.[1]
Limes (with 29 mg of vitamin C per 100g) and lime juice (30 mg) are also good dietary sources of vitamin C. A lime has up to 20 mg of vitamin C. Thus, a lime provides 22% of the DV.
We can drink warm water with lemon juice in order to lose weight first thing in the morning or before bed.
Vitamin C in grapefruit
Both white and red grapefruit are pretty rich in vitamin C. They have approximately 37 mg of vitamin C per 100g.
Grapefruit is also great for weight loss. The best time to eat it in order to lose weight is before the main meal of the day!
Have you heard about pomelo? It’s the largest citrus fruit. It has a yellow peel. Pomelo tastes like grapefruit with a bitter pulp. Pomelo is also a good dietary source of vitamin C. It contains 61 mg of vitamin C per 100g. This dose is 80% of the DV.
How much vitamin C in an orange or orange juice?
Actually, orange isn’t the richest citrus fruit in vitamin C. Orange has about 45 mg of vitamin C per 100g. A whole orange fruit has up to 68 mg of vitamin C. An orange provides about 75% of the DV.
Orange juice has 33 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL. A cup has about 83 mg of vitamin C. Hence, a cup of orange juice provides up to 92% of the DV.
Clementine, tangerine, and satsuma are different mandarin orange varieties. Actually, all the mandarin varieties have approximately 26 mg of vitamin C per 100g.
As orange juice is high in sugars, better drink it in the morning. Moreover, if you want to lose weight, prefer consuming whole oranges. They have fiber, which helps control glucose levels.
So, which citrus fruit is the best source of vitamin C?
In fact, pomelo is the citrus fruit with the highest amount of vitamin C. But, the richest citrus fruits in vitamin C are lemons and oranges. They both have 53 mg of vitamin C per 100g.
| Vitamin C (mg) | % DV | Sugars (g) | Calories | Fiber (g) | |
| pomelo | 61 | 81 | 8,6 | 38 | 1 |
| lime | 29 | 39 | 1,7 | 30 | 2,8 |
| lime juice | 30 | 40 | 1,7 | 25 | 0,4 |
| lemon | 53 | 71 | 2,5 | 29 | 2,8 |
| lemon juice | 39 | 52 | 2,5 | 22 | 0,3 |
| grapefruit | 37 | 49 | 6,4 | 30 | 1,1 |
| grapefruit juice | 38 | 51 | 9,2 | 39 | 0,3 |
| mandarin, tangerine | 26 | 35 | 10,6 | 53 | 1,8 |
| orange | 53 | 71 | 9,3 | 47 | 2,4 |
| orange juice | 33 | 44 | 8,3 | 48 | 0,3 |
Can oranges, lemons & grapefruits help us meet our daily needs?
We need 90 mg of vitamin C per day. We can easily consume the recommended daily intake from diet. Only plants are good dietary sources of vitamin C, though.[2]
There is no need to buy vitamin C supplements. if you follow a whole food plant-based diet. Eat oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits to substantially increase the daily vitamin C intake.
Vitamin C supplements are considered pretty safe, though. Even high doses of 1,000 mg a day are rather unlikely to cause any side effect. You can find a wide variety of vitamin C supplements on iHerb.
Other fruits rich in vitamin C
Fruits, vegetables, and herbs are the richest common foods in vitamin C. You can see the whole list here.
Prefer consuming them raw or slightly cooked. Vitamin C is very vulnerable to heat.
