Like primates, guinea pigs require dietary vitamin C. Guinea pig treats should not only be high in vitamin C, but also low in calcium, carbohydrates and sugars, and high in dietary fiber (*).
As the degree of freshness varies with market conditions, so can the vitamin C content. Tosun found that the highest vitamin C levels were detected in local open markets while the lowest vitamin C levels were seen in green grocery samples.
The following chart shows the maximum vitamin C content in 1 cup of selected raw foods:
Produce | Weight (grams) | Vitamin C (mg) |
---|---|---|
Guava | 165 | 376.7 |
Currants, black | 112 | 202.7 |
Peppers, sweet red | 149 | 190.3 |
Brussels sprouts | 88 | 173.0 |
Parsleya | 60 | 140.0 |
Broccoli leaf | n/a | 120.0 |
Peppers, sweet green | 149 | 119.8 |
Strawberries | 166 | 97.6 |
Orange | 180 | 95.8 |
Grapefruit | n/a | 93.9 |
Scotch kale | 67 | 87.1 |
Papaya | 140 | 86.5 |
Dill weed | 100 | 85.0 |
Kohlrabi | 135 | 83.7 |
Kale a | 67 | 80.4 |
Lambs quarters | 100 | 80.0 |
Broccoli | 88 | 78.5 |
Pineapple | 155 | 74.1 |
Grapefruit, pink and red | 230 | 71.8 |
Passion-fruit (Granadilla), purple | 236 | 70.8 |
Kiwifruit (Chinese gooseberries) | 76 | 70.5 |
Broccoli florets* | 71 | 66.2 |
Breadfruit | 220 | 63.8 |
Snowpeas | 98 | 58.8 |
Cantaloupe melon | 160 | 58.7 |
Green peas | 145 | 58.0 |
Green cauliflower | 64 | 56.4 |
Pineapple | 155 | 56.1 |
Tangerines (mandarin oranges) | 195 | 52.1 |
Mulberries | 140 | 51.0 |
Cauliflower | 100 | 46.4 |
Cauliflower | 100 | 46.4 |
Mango | 165 | 45.7 |
Gooseberries | 150 | 41.5 |
Cabbage, red | 70 | 39.9 |
Mustard greens* | 56 | 39.2 |
Starfruit (Carambola) | 108 | 37.2 |
Rutabaga | 140 | 35.0 |
Turnip greens* | 55 | 33.0 |
Raspberries | 123 | 32.2 |
Honeydew melon | 170 | 30.6 |
Blackberries | 144 | 30.2 |
Cabbage | 70 | 25.6 |
Tomatoes, red | 180 | 22.9 |
Parsnips | 133 | 22.6 |
Loganberries | n/a | 22.5 |
Cabbage, savoy | 70 | 21.7 |
Zucchini | 124 | 21.1 |
Okra | 100 | 21.1 |
Prickly pear | 149 | 20.9 |
Dandelion greens* | 55 | 19.3 |
Squash, summer | 113 | 19.2 |
Green snap beans | 110 | 17.9 |
Cherimoya | n/a | 17.9 |
Grapes, red or green | 160 | 17.3 |
Radish | 116 | 17.2 |
Plum | 165 | 15.7 |
Blueberries | 145 | 14.1 |
Mung beans, mature seeds, sprouted | 104 | 13.7 |
Lettuce, romaine | 56 | 13.4 |
Cranberries | 110 | 13.3 |
Banana | 150 | 13.1 |
Watermelon | 152 | 12.3 |
Peaches | 170 | 11.2 |
Beet greens | 38 | 11.4 |
Swiss chard | 36 | 10.8 |
Spinacha | 30 | 8.4 |
Cucumber with peel | 301 | 8.4 |
Broccoli raab (Rapini) | 40 | 8.1 |
Amaranth leaves | 193 | 8.1 |
Nectarine | 143 | 7.7 |
Dill weed | 9 | 7.4 |
Carrots | 110 | 6.5 |
Taro | n/a | 4.7 |
Apples, without skin | 110 | 4.4 |
Boysenberries | n/a | 4.1 |
Celery | 120 | 3.7 |
Endive | 50 | 3.3 |
Sweet potato | 133 | 3.2 |
Cucumber, with peel | 104 | 2.9 |
Alfalfa seeds, sprouted | 33 | 2.7 |
Lettuce, iceberg | 55 | 1.5 |
Cilantro | 16 | 1.1 |
a: Parsley and spinach are also rich in oxalates so offer these vegetables only sporadically to reduce the risk of calcium oxalate bladder stone formation.
References
References
Guinea Lynx: A medical care guide for guinea pigs. Available at http://www.guinealynx.info/index.html. Accessed on October 4, 2009.
NutritionData. Available at http://www.nutritiondata.com/. Accessed on October 4, 2009.
Tosun BN, Yucecan S. Influence of home freezing and storage on vitamin C contents of some vegetables. Pakistan J Nutr 6(5):472-477, 2007.
United States Department of Agriculture. USDA National Nutrient Database: Vitamin C, ascorbic acid (mg) content of selected foods per common measure. Available at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR21/nutrlist/sr21w401.pdf. Accessed on October 4, 2009.
Pollock C. Vitamin C content of selected foods. March 13, 2010. LafeberVet Web site. Available at https://lafeber.com/vet/vitamin-c-content-of-selected-foods/