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There is little dispute in either conventional or alternative health circles about the critical importance of vitamin C to optimal wellness.
When most people consider the consequences of vitamin C deficiency, however, the usual image that comes to mind is of a scurvy ridden, orally challenged, 16th-century sailor who has run out of limes!
While a severe deficiency of vitamin C is rare anymore, subclinical deficiency is most definitely not.
A powerful anti-oxidant, vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient that is needed for numerous biological functions including:
- Tissue growth and repair
- Strength of capillary walls
- Lactation
- Preventing adrenal fatigue
- Formation of collagen
- Healing of wounds
Vitamin C is probably best known for its ability to shorten the duration and severity of the common cold as popularized by Dr. Linus Pauling in his 1970 book, Vitamin C and the Common Cold.
Found in many fruits and vegetables and in some animal organs, vitamin C is a delicate nutrient that is destroyed by heat. Consequently, in the modern diet where the majority of most people’s meals consist of highly processed fare, little vitamin C remains for absorption.
The problem of little natural vitamin C in the heavily processed, modern diet is compounded by the fact that the millions of individuals with blood sugar issues such as hypoglycemia require more vitamin C as this condition interferes with its metabolism by the body.
In addition, alcohol consumption and many common drugs such as aspirin and the birth control pill may reduce vitamin C levels in the body.
With vitamin C so critical and yet so elusive in the modern diet with higher than normal levels required by many due to metabolic issues or drug interactions, it is no wonder that vitamin C supplements are absolutely everywhere – commonly sold even at gas stations!
While vitamin C supplementation is a good idea for most people (I take one myself as do my children and husband), supplementation with just any vitamin C is not.
The Truth about Ascorbic Acid
The problem is that most vitamin C is not really vitamin C at all. It is ascorbic acid, a synthetic, lab created version not found anywhere in nature, which is only one part (the outer layer) of the complete vitamin C complex.
Consumption of isolated ascorbic acid is not a good idea on a regular basis. Some evidence suggests that large doses may lead to imbalances and deficiencies in the flavonoids (vitamin P), a powerful family of over 6,000 antioxidants that have a symbiotic working relationship with vitamin C – each increasing the other’s effect.
Even more worrisome is that ascorbic acid, while proven to kill bacteria effectively, is not discriminatory in its anti-microbial abilities as it also wipes out good bacteria or probiotics in the gut. Whole foods based vitamin C does not harm beneficial intestinal bacteria in the same way as synthetic vitamin C does.
Another wake up call about ascorbic acid – it is synthesized from corn syrup. If you take a supplement with ascorbic acid, you guessed it, you are likely consuming a supplement with GMO origins (unless the corn was certified organic) without even knowing it!
To show you just how common GMO derived, probiotic destroying ascorbic acid masquerading as true vitamin C is, I took photographs of the labels of three extremely popular vitamin C supplements at the healthfood store. The pictures to the right show that there is no real vitamin C to be found in any of them, even the children’s yummi bears!
True Vitamin C with No Additives
Given that natural vitamin C is destroyed by heat and that the vast majority of “vitamin C” supplements and foods fortified with “vitamin C” don’t contain any true vitamin C at all, what is a person who needs to supplement with this critical nutrient to do?
Finding a quality vitamin C supplement is indeed hard! In fact, I didn’t take one for years simply because I couldn’t find one that was 100% whole foods based with no additives whatsoever. Every single time I tried one that was “almost” good enough, I would end up stopping it as it would inevitably give me bad headaches.
It is only in the past few months that I have finally started to take a vitamin C supplement regularly because at last I found a line that is low heat processed, whole foods based, and entirely additive free. The funny thing is, the products were right under my nose all along and I didn’t even realize it!
My friends Norm and Kathy LeMoine of Radiant Life offer a quality line of whole food vitamin C supplements to choose from. The one I’ve been taking and very much enjoying is Pure Radiance C. You simply stir a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon in a some filtered water and drink. It tastes great!
You can also hold the vitamin C mixture in your mouth for a minute or so before swallowing to allow vitamin C to absorb directly into the thin and delicate gum tissue. Great for those with periodontal problems.
Capsules are also available if desired for added convenience.
Radiant Life offers several other whole foods vitamin C products with no additives to choose from as well. The difference between the products is the whole food sources of the vitamin C. Choose whichever mix of vitamin C sources suits your nutritional goals best. The chart below illustrates the various product options.
If this article has caused you to throw up your hands in dismay because the vitamin C you had chosen for your family turned out to be synthetic and probably of GMO origins, don’t despair!
Move forward with the newfound knowledge that vitamin C from a whole foods supplement with zero additives is in fact available and that there is a company you can trust which offers four superior forms of this important nutrient for you to choose from. Click here to review your real Vitamin C options and ditch those GMO wannabe’s.
References
(1) Vitamin Primer
(2) Synthetic Vit C kills beneficial bacteria in the gut
(3) What’s Wrong with Synthetic Vit C
I’ve been a WAPF member for years and have been taking Nature’s Plus, Ultra-C for many years. It is ascorbic acid (organic) (2000mg) & rose hips(Rosa canina fruit (200mg) – yikes…is ascorbic acid not good even if organic?????
If it is indeed organic it should not be GMO but I see nowhere on the label where it says organic.
I have a question (tried to post it before but an error appears, don’t know why?).
We use NOW Acerola powder and it says that it is a “Natural Source of Vitamin C plus added Ascorbic Acid”. We have been using it in my baby’s raw milk formula, advised by Weston Price Foundation and other articles of yours.
Since the bottle says what I wrote, I am a bit confused with this present article you wrote. Is this Acerola – with ascorbic acid in it – a no-no or a right one? If this is a no-no then why do you suggest it in a baby’s homemade formula?
I am recommending any of the 4 products in chart above as they are all 100% C with no additives. I have not checked the NOW brand label recently so cannot say what they are using today. It used to be all acerola with no ascorbic acid.
I love reading your articles Sarah. They always make me think and analyze everything. I know that you keep in mind that thousands of people read you and rely on what they read here to make changes for the better in their lives and in their families lives. I have too, over the years, come here and learnt a ton. I still do.
You already showed that you are a very, very shrewd person. I am writing all of this because I think you should bare in mind that at the same time you suggest a product or a supplement you should see if it changes as time goes by (or not) in order to keep helping people instead of going through the possibility of creating unnecessary (health) problems without (you) even realizing it.
I hope you understand what I wrote.
Please see your posts about the homemade raw milk/liver formula and check the acerola powder you suggest to put in it – there are babies with allergies to GMOs (my own baby has severe eczema and I am questioning, now, if it could be due to corn from ascorbic acid that I innocently put in her formula every day!). If you see the photo from the link you posted (http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/category/119) you will realize that Radiant Life has there Acerola with ascorbic acid in it too.
I hope you put yourself in my shoes for an instant to understand what I wrote. If my baby has eczema (for months now, you wouldn’t dream what we have been going through) due to ascorbic acid then I thank you for your article!, but I also ask you to please, please check your other articles where you suggest acerola powder in other homemade milk/liver formulas because there may be other people battling the same problem that we are battling here.
Please, don’t take my comment as a criticism because it isn’t. It is rather a request.
I am really grateful for your article, it made me think and research more… maybe this is the missing link for me to cure my baby. If it is, then I will have no words to thank you.
Maria,
I understand where you are coming from, and that all issues including your precious baby would be close to your heart and of great concern to you. That’s good mothering! however, i would encourage you to look at Sarah’s disclaimer again:
Disclaimer
“The information on The Healthy Home Economist â„¢ is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other health care professional. You should not rely upon or follow the programs or techniques or use any of the products and services made available by or through the use of this website for decision making without obtaining the advice of a physician or other health care professional. The nutritional and other information on this website are not intended to be and do not constitute health care or medical advice.
In addition, the views expressed on The Healthy Home Economist â„¢ have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Weston A. Price Foundation. The Healthy Home Economist â„¢ is an independent, privately run business separate from this nonprofit organization.”
I commend you for your dedication to your family!
Sarah, I wanted to thank you for all the time you put into doing this. I was just trying to figure out Vit. C, and here it is! Long story, short, my husband was diagnosed with Epstein Barr six years ago, and I’ve had a whole host of issues myself ranging from anemia to PCOS with a hysterectomy in 2010. We still deal with problems so we eliminated most of the processed foods from our diet four years ago, but just recently found your site, and are starting my husband on the GAPS diet. My head is spinning from info overload, but very grateful to you for explaining why we continue to have some issues!
We gave up consuming anything processed, including stock cubes and flavour enhancers. I now cook everything from scratch and use a lot of fresh herbs from the garden to season food. We were always getting bits of colds all year round but since totally eliminating MSG out of our diet (5 months ago), none of us have had even a hint of a cold since. I am convinced that nutrition and the food we eat is key, better than any supplements. Dorothy
What are your thoughts on Nutribiotics brand of Sodium Ascorbate? Here is the link http://www.nutribiotic.com/sodium-ascorbate.html. Is the sodium factor make it a better option? Thank you!
Do your kids take pure Radiance C? Is dosage the same for kids?
Sarah, what are your thoughts on fat soluble asorbyl palmitate?
I have a question.
We use NOW Acerola powder and it says that it is a “Natural Source of Vitamin C plus added Ascorbic Acid”. We have been using it in my baby’s raw milk formula, advised by Weston Price Foundation and other articles of yours.
Since the bottle says what I wrote, I am a bit confused with this present article you wrote. Is this Acerola – with ascorbic acid in it – a no-no or a right one?
Just found out that NOW Vit C is from China (although it says “made in the U.S.A.” right on the bottle.) It is also derived from corn! 90% of all Vit C is from China!! What to do…
Hi Joel, I had the same problem finding some. I finally found the last Western producer and started distributing for them this week. It’s ascorbic acid manufactured in the UK from certified non-GMO corn, also grown in the UK.
I’ve been using and researching ascorbic acid for 8 years and totally disagree with the slander it has suffered in the media. I’ve addressed the author of the original article at natural news and am awaiting a response.
I am providing this product with the lowest markup on the market. I charge 25$ for a pound whereas Chinese ascorbic acid is wholesaled at 1-3$ a kilo (2.2 lbs) and retailed anywhere from 6-40$ a pound. (454 grams).
Thanks,
Andrew
http://www.gmofreevitamins.com
We ordered the Vitamin C from radiant life this past winter and I supplemented it with the FCLO, butter oil and a liver pill for the kiddos. It was our healthiest winter! We had only a cold show up once and I upped their Vitamin C and they kicked it in 2 days! Completely! During the summer I stopped supplementing the Vitamin C except for right now I came down with a mild cold so I added it back to the kids supplements to hopefully help them ward it off and so far so good. Should I continue their supplement year round? Or just during the fall/winter when viruses are more prevalent?
So i suppose i’ll be throwing away the gummy vites for the kids… is there a trustworthy article about how important vit c is for kids? i will research radiant life dosing. thanks!
Antonia, study this book and all it’s sources in the bibliography at the back. google ross horne 5th edition and ross horne Improving Pritikin. my two health bibles. Cheers
Why can’t I just fresh squeeze some lemon in water and get VitC that way? Do we really need a supplement for that?
Hi Betty- Lemon in water provides electrolytes not sufficient vitamin c. The fruits highest in Vitamin C are Cherries,all the Oranges, followed by Grapefruits, and strawberries. It takes a great deal of these fruits to obtain the high percentage doses available in powders.about 5 valencia type oranges will provide only about 105% of the Vitamin C established by the FDA as what a person needs; the problem is: Persons are each unique and none are the same; and Betty, exceptional health and beauty benefits happen, generally, to those whom consume about 500%- 1600% the FDA dosage determined. In that no other person is the same as you Betty, decide what benefits you seek from Vitamin C.
Hi Sarah, There is much debate going on in my family about vitamin C. My GP who is a holistic practitioner uses IV Vitamin C especially in elderly and people who have cancers etc…I do note that Dr Mercola talks about Liposomal Vitamin C, if your diet is not adequate enough to supplement with this..What are your thoughts?
Elisabeth
For serious illness, the IV Vitamin C is probably useful … certainly better than chemo or radiation and other extremely toxic therapies. I think it is abused however .. I know people who regularly get IV Vitamin C simply for cosmetic reasons.