Vitamin C is in your home

The body needs a certain amount of Vitamin C every day. A child needs 30 to 35 milligrams, an adult 45 miligrams, expectant mothers 55 milligrams and new mothers 70 milligrams.

Vitamin C is important in building up a body’s immunity. This is all the more important during the coronavirus pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean you have to buy Vitamin C from your drugstore. You can meet your daily requirement of Vitamin C by ensuring a balanced amount of fruits and vegetable in your regular diet.

Vitamin C is soluble in water and so doesn’t remain stored in the body. If your intake of Vitamin C is more than you require, the surplus will simply be expelled from your body with your urine. That is why every day you must have a specific amount of Vitamin C. A child needs 30 to 35 milligrams, an adult 45 miligrams, expectant mothers 55 milligrams and lactating mothers 70 milligrams.

Amount of Vitamin C in local fruits:

Fruits: Amloki (463 mg), guava (228 mg), karomcha (135 mg), jambura (105 mg), amra (92 mg), deuwa (66 mg), lemon (63 mg), papaya (62 mg), jaam (60 mg), malta (mandarin) (54 mg), boroi (51 mg), musambi (50 mg), lime (47 mg), oranges (40 mg), olives (39 mg), custard apple (38 mg), palm (35 mg), pineapple (34 mg), litchi (31 mg), pomegranate (26 mg), melon (26 mg), watermelon (24 mg) and jamrul (22 mg).

Local spinach (shaak):

Shajne pata (220 mg), note shaak (179 mg), dhone pata (coriander or cilantro leaves) (135 mg) data shaak (83), carrot leaves (79), korola shaak (bitter gourd leaves) (78 mg), beetroot leaves (70 mg), mula shaak or radish leaves (69), pui shaak (64), kalo kochu shaak (63), chhola shaak (61 mg), shorshe shaak, mustard leaves (60 mg), borboti pata or string bean leaves (57), paat shaak or jute leaves (54), green kochu shaak (48), helencha shaak (43), lal shaak (43), botua shaak (41), mishti kumra shaak (37), kolmi shaak (30) and palong shaak (30).

Other vegetables:

Green chillies (125), korola or bitter gourd (91). Green mangoes (90), cauliflower (73), shajne (70), ol kopi (53), data (36), sweet potatoes or yam (35), radish (34), green tomatoes (31), chaal kumra (31), ripe tomatoes (27), spring onions (27), pumpkin (26), turnips (25), green bananas (23), French beans (24), green papaya (19), potato (19), potol (19), chichinga (19), okra (18), cabbage (16), beetroot (15) and red beans (12).

Vitamin C can also be found in dried red chillies (47), lemon zest (129), mint leaves (22) and thankunipata (24).

Vegetables shouldn’t be overcooked at high temperatures. It is best to cook them with little water in a covered pan as quickly as possible. Steaming vegetables is best as it ensures highest content of Vitamin C.

Nurun Nahar Dilruba is a nutritionist and teacher, National University, Gazipur