Habits That Reduce Vitamin C: What You Must Know

Many people believe that simply eating amla or drinking lemon water is enough to maintain healthy Vitamin C levels — but the truth is, deficiency often occurs because of wrong habits and incorrect consumption methods. Even though Vitamin C is essential for our skin, immunity, and overall health, millions of people in India still suffer from its mild to moderate deficiency.
The biggest reason: loss of Vitamin C due to heat, storage methods, and lifestyle habits.

Vitamin C Gets Destroyed During Cooking

Vitamin C is water-soluble and highly sensitive to heat, which means it gets destroyed very easily during cooking.
This is why, despite eating vegetables and fruits daily, many people still remain deficient.

Common practices that reduce Vitamin C:

• Overcooking vegetables

• Boiling and reheating food multiple times

• Adding tadka (tempering) to dal repeatedly

• Leaving cut fruits or salads exposed for long periods

• Storing lemon water or fruit juices overnight (up to 90% Vitamin C is lost)

In short, traditional cooking styles often reduce the nutritional value of Vitamin C-rich foods.

The Right Way to Consume Vitamin C

To retain and absorb Vitamin C efficiently, you must follow proper dietary practices:

1. Consume Raw or Minimally Cooked Foods

Vitamin C remains the highest in dishes that do not require heat, such as:

• Coriander chutney

• Mint chutney

• Onion-tomato kachumber

• Fresh salads

Eat fresh chutneys or salads daily.

2. Eat Amla in Effective Forms

Amla is one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin C.
You can consume it as:

• Amla murabba

• Amla powder

• Fresh amla chutney

3. Add Lemon After Cooking

Do not cook lemon juice with food.
Instead:

• Squeeze lemon on dal or vegetables after they are fully cooked.

4. Prefer Steaming Over Boiling

Instead of boiling vegetables, steam them to retain maximum Vitamin C.

5. Eat Seasonal Fruits

Seasonal produce has higher nutrient availability.

Best options:

• Winter: Amla, guava, oranges, capsicum

• Summer: Mango, lemon, pineapple

Include at least one fresh fruit daily.

Stress Also Lowers Vitamin C Levels

During stress, the body uses Vitamin C rapidly.
Thus, chronic stress can lead to deficiency.

Other factors that increase Vitamin C requirement:

• Pollution

• Smoking

• Processed foods

• Diabetes

• Pregnancy

• Adolescence

• Intense physical activity

• Infections

These conditions demand higher Vitamin C intake for proper functioning.

How Much Vitamin C Do We Need?

Recommended daily intake varies by age and lifestyle:

• Children: 25–45 mg

• Teenagers: 50–65 mg

• Adult Men: 90–100 mg

• Adult Women: 75–85 mg

• Pregnant Women: 85–100 mg

• Breastfeeding Women: 115–120 mg

• Elderly, stressed, diabetic, or infected individuals: 120–150 mg

Ensuring adequate Vitamin C supports immunity, skin health, and faster healing.

Conclusion

Vitamin C deficiency is not always about lack of intake — it’s often about the wrong way of consuming and storing foods.
With simple changes like eating fresh fruits, minimizing cooking heat, adding lemon after cooking, and reducing stress, you can maintain healthy Vitamin C levels naturally.