It can get a bit overwhelming when you’re trying to eat well, there are so many options nowadays it’s easy to get caught up in whether we're choosing the best version of everything. Fresh fruit must be better than frozen, right? And freshly squeezed juice must beat anything that comes out of a carton?

Well, when it comes to vitamin C, things aren't quite that simple.

Vitamin C is one of those nutrients we hear about all the time, especially when cold and flu season rolls around. It also has a few other important jobs in the body, including supporting normal immune function, collagen production and protecting cells from oxidative stress.

The interesting bit is that how we store, prepare and eat our food can affect how much vitamin C we're actually getting from it.

So, is fresh really best?

Fresh Fruit Is Great, But There's A Catch

Let's start with the obvious one. Fresh fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with choosing them.

The thing is, vitamin C doesn't sit around indefinitely waiting for us to eat it.

Once fruit and vegetables have been harvested, their vitamin C content can gradually change. Storage time, temperature and exposure to oxygen can all have an effect. So that punnet of strawberries you've had sitting in the fridge for a week isn't necessarily going to contain exactly the same amount of vitamin C as it did when you bought it.

That doesn't mean you need to panic and eat all your fruit immediately!

It simply means that fresh doesn't automatically mean more vitamin C.

Interestingly, a study comparing fresh and frozen produce found that vitamin C levels were similar in five of the eight foods tested, while the frozen versions actually came out higher in the other three.

Which brings us to frozen fruit...

Don't Underestimate What's In Your Freezer

Frozen fruit sometimes gets treated like the “lesser than” alternative to fresh produce, but it can actually be very nutritious.

Fruit that's going to be frozen is often processed fairly soon after harvesting. That means it can be frozen while it's still relatively fresh, rather than spending days being transported, sitting on a supermarket shelf, and then waiting in your fridge.

Whilst freezing doesn't perfectly preserve every nutrient, it can help retain vitamin C surprisingly well. A review looking at vitamin C stability found that freezing was among the better traditional methods for preserving vitamin C, although the results varied depending on the food and how it was processed.

So there’s no need to feel like you’re taking the cheap option because you’ve a bag of frozen berries in the freezer! Frozen fruits are also incredibly handy. Add them to porridge, yogurt, or a smoothie and you've got an easy way to get more fruit into your day without worrying about whether it's going to go mouldy before you get around to eating it.

And Then There's Juice...

Juice is where things get a little more complicated.

A glass of juice can certainly contribute vitamin C, but it isn't quite the same as eating the whole fruit. A lot of the fiber is removed when fruit is juiced and the final vitamin C content can depend on the fruit itself, how it's processed, and how long it’s been stored.

But that doesn't mean juice is “bad”, it can still be a useful source of vitamin C. So if you enjoy a glass of juice with breakfast it’s certainly not a waste of time. Research comparing freshly squeezed and commercial 100% orange juices found that commercial juices were still a rich source of vitamin C, although the freshly squeezed juices had around 33% more vitamin C by the end of the tested shelf life.

Just remember that juice and whole fruit aren't quite the same thing.

What About Cooking?

This is another one that's easy to overlook. Vitamin C is sensitive to heat and water, so the way we cook vegetables can affect how much is left. Boiling vegetables for a long time is one of the worst culprits because some of the vitamin C moves into the cooking water. Shorter cooking methods like steaming or microwaving can help retain more.

But that doesn’t mean you need to bles!stop cooking your vegetables! Cooked vegetables still have plenty going for them, and we're much better off eating them than avoiding them because we're worried about losing a little vitamin C.

It's really about making small choices where you can. If you're cooking vegetables specifically to get more vitamin C, avoiding long boiling times is a pretty simple place to start.

So, Which One Wins?

There really isn't a clear winner here.

Fresh fruit is fantastic. Frozen fruit can be just as useful and sometimes retains vitamin C surprisingly well. Juice can contribute too - although whole fruit gives you the added benefit of fiber.

The most important thing is probably not getting too hung up on which one is technically “best.” If fresh berries are affordable and you're going to eat them, brilliant. If frozen berries are easier and actually get used instead of forgotten in the fridge, even better. Or if getting enough vitamin C from food isn't always practical, that's where a supplement can be useful.

Our TerraBites Vitamin C Chews are an easy option for those days when you're rushing out the door, travelling, or simply haven't managed to stock the fridge with enough fruit and vegetables. They aren't there to replace a varied diet. They're simply a convenient way to add vitamin C to your routine when life gets busy.

The healthiest choice isn't always the freshest, fanciest, or most perfect one. It's often the one that's easy enough to keep doing.

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