Raw potatoes are high in vitamin C, containing 21-24 mg of vitamin C per 100g. But, a serving of baked/boiled potatoes, or French fries contains up to 22% of the recommended daily intake because vitamin C is vulnerable to heat and cooking methods.
How much vitamin C do we need a day?
The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
Moreover, pregnant and nursing women require 85 mg and 120 mg of vitamin C a day, respectively. Also, smokers require higher doses of vitamin C. They should get at least 35 mg more vitamin C than nonsmokers, due to increased oxidative stress. Healthy people shouldn’t get too much vitamin C from supplements, though.
How much vitamin C in potatoes?
Actually, potatoes are excellent dietary sources of vitamin C. Most common peeled raw potatoes have about 21-24 mg of vitamin C per 100g. The skin of potato is high in vitamin C as well. It has about 11.4 mg of vitamin C per 100g.
But, vitamin C is very vulnerable to heat and cooking methods. A high percentage of vitamin C is lost during cooking.
How to cook potatoes to get the most vitamin C?
Baked & boiled potatoes are high in vitamin C
Baked or boiled potatoes contain about 13 mg of vitamin C per 100g. This amount is about 14% of the recommended daily intake. Practically, a serving of potatoes provides about 20 mg of vitamin C, or 22% of the Daily Value.[1]
Prefer baking or steaming potatoes, though. This way you can preserve other nutrients, like iron!
Furthermore, steaming whole potatoes without peeling or cutting them into pieces preserves most vitamin C. Otherwise, up to 75% of many nutrients leach into the water.[2]
So, prefer cooking whole potatoes. You can peel and cut them into pieces afterward. Also, you can eat potatoes with the skin if they’re organic.
Eating potato salad is also a great way to increase the daily vitamin C intake. A homemade potato salad has about 10 mg of vitamin C per 100g. A cup provides 25 mg of vitamin C, which is 28% of the DV. Moreover, you can add many herbs to your favorite potato salad recipe, such as parsley, basil, or cilantro. Herbs are among the richest foods in vitamin C.
Do French fries have vitamin C?
Although French fries have less vitamin C than boiled or baked potatoes, they also contribute to the daily vitamin C intake. French fries contain about 10 mg of vitamin C per 100g, or 11% of the DV.
A small cup of French fries provides 6 mg of vitamin C, which is 6% of the DV.
Vitamin C in potato chips
Potato chips are also particularly high in vitamin C. They contain about 23 mg of vitamin C per 100, or 25% of the DV. Practically, a big serving bag (85g) contains about 19 mg of vitamin C. This dose is 21% of the recommended daily intake.
But, we should eat French fries and potato chips in moderation. They have too many calories. In fact, French fries have twice as many calories as baked potatoes, while potatoes chips have 5 times more calories than baked potatoes!
So, prefer eating baked or boiled potatoes if you want to lose weight. Actually, reasonable amounts are beneficial for weight loss!
How much vitamin C in potato soup?
Potato soup has about 16 mg of vitamin C per 100g (dry mix). A serving has 6.2 mg of vitamin C, or 7% of the DV.
Does potato bread have any vitamin C?
Actually, potato flour has negligible amounts of vitamin C. It has less than 4 mg of vitamin C per 100g. Hence, potato bread can’t help us meet our daily needs of vitamin C.
However, whole wheat bread doesn’t have a significant vitamin C content either.
Health benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C is necessary for many function of the human body. For instance, it’s involved in the synthesis of collagen, carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters. Also, it’s crucial for protein metabolism and wound healing.
Additionally, vitamin C may decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis, as it increases the absorption of calcium.[3,4]
Also, vitamin C improves the absorption of nonheme iron.
Moreover, vitamin C has powerful antioxidant properties. It prevents skin aging and the formation of wrinkles, due to sun damage. Furthermore, vitamin C can regenerate other potent antioxidants, which play a vital role in skin health, such as vitamin E!
Moreover, vitamin C might help delay or even prevent the development of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.[5]
Nutritional value of potato
Potatoes have a great nutritional value. They contain decent amounts of fiber, potassium, and iron! Additionally, they contain low amounts of protein, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.
Certainly, commercial French fries can make you gain weight because they have too many calories. However, reasonable amounts of homemade baked, boiled, steamed, or microwaved potatoes, as well as French fries are good for you.
