I began my search for the best vitamin C powder supplement when I started making bone broth for my son with bad eczema. I could have used apple cider vinegar, but it is very high in salicylates, which we were eliminating from his diet, in a bid to remove the last bit of chronic inflammation and itch.
In this article, we will look into
- why supplement vitamin C
- dosage of supplementing vitamin C
- what to look out for when sourcing vitamin C powder supplement
- our recommendation – why it is the best
Why supplement vitamin C
We all know vitamin C has loads of benefits:
- improve immunity
- prevent stroke and other cardiovascular diseases
- improve eye health
- reduce the risk of cancer, as it is a great antioxidant
- beneficial to skin health, especially in preventing wrinkles
- aid in iron absorption
It is such an important vitamin, it is needed for growth and repair of tissues in all parts of the body. The thing is, our body does not make vitamin C on its own, neither does it store vitamin C. Since it is water-soluble, whatever that is in excess of what the body can absorb gets passed out in the urine.
So we need a daily intake of vitamin C from foods that are rich in it, including many fruits and vegetables.
The other main reason why my family needs to find a reliable vitamin C supplement is because we need a pure ascorbic acid in our bone broth, to help leach out the minerals and nutrients as it simmers for hours and hours. This will greatly reduce the cooking time needed to extract all the goodness from the bones, which serves as a great gut healing food.
Dosage of supplementing vitamin C
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C is 25 to 45 mg per day in children, and 75 to 90 mg per day in adults. But for any health issues that you are trying to manage, the body needs much more than that – 500 mg per day. For its effects of fighting against free radicals, and its cell building and repairing work, we need this larger dose in excess of the RDA.
Supplementing vitamin C is safe, effective and easy to do, with no known serious side effects, except for stomach upset if taken in excess of 2000 mg per day.
What do we look for in the best vitamin C powder supplement
To qualify in our opinion as the best vitamin C powder supplement, it has to meet our stringent criteria in terms of quality ingredients.
Quality ingredients
NO food colouring.
NO preservatives.
NO filler.
We don’t need all these extras that make the product look good, taste good, feel good in terms of texture, and have a long shelf life, in exchange for quality. Additives are frequently questionable, and serve no health purpose.
Eczema warriors have sensitive bodies that already cannot cope with whatever burden they have to deal with, so in working on their health, we should really avoid loading them further with chemical additives and such.
So from the onset, we already knew we were looking for a product that is just pure vitamin C, nothing else.
So if there are a few products that meet the first criteria for quality ingredients, we then go for the one with the most value for money, of course also taking into account the company’s reliability, its philosophy, certifications, testing, etc.
Our recommendation – Nutribiotic Ascorbic Acid Powder
Like always, I sieve out the best, and recommend only a few selected brands – in this case only one. It is not easy to find a pure ascorbic acid from a reliable company, free of all other additives. For a few months, I simmered my bone broth for more than 24 hours simply because I still hadn’t found the product that meets my stringent criteria.
With this Nutribiotic Ascorbic Acid Powder, it has cut the cooking time of my bone broth to 12 hours, as the minerals can be leached out of the bones more effectively with this addition in the recipe.
Quality ingredients
Its ingredient: only pure ascorbic acid, nothing else. No fillers, no additives to make the product appear smooth in texture, look nicer in colour, prevent clumping up, etc.
Moreover, it is pharmaceutical grade, that is how pure it is. Highly soluble, it contains no corn residue, plant antigens, or protein impurities. It is also gluten free, and non-GMO (genetically modified organism).
The company
Nutribiotic has been a reliable brand since its beginnings in 1980. For more than 35 years, it has offered high quality nutritional supplements and personal care products. It is compliant with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and stringent quality assurance controls.
Dosage
As a dietary supplement, add half a teaspoon or slightly less into water or any other liquids like juice, or warm soup. The half a teaspoon dosage stated on the container actually amounts to 2500 mg, so for a start, I would say try out one quarter teaspoon, and slowly work your way up to half a teaspoon maximum, if it works well for you.
For bone broth, we use half a teaspoon too, but that’s in 3.5 litres of water, and the bone broth lasts one person for a week. So actually what we use is much less than the RDA, but then the purpose is simply to help extract the minerals from the bones.
Pill form and Multivitamins
Many people, including myself, if I were to take vitamin C as a daily supplement, would prefer a pill or capsule form. In fact, vitamin C as part of a multivitamin would be even more convenient and hassle-free. I would have to spend some time to research on these, specifically for people with eczema, and come up with some recommendations in one of my future posts.
Meanwhile, I hope this review of the best vitamin C powder supplement serves you well, in sieving out the top product for your daily vitamin C needs, as well as for adding into your nutritious bone broth.
I really appreciate your post.
I always think it is wonderful to find sites where the writer has a personal reason to find a solution.
In your case it is your family. Your love for your family prompted you to find a solution. your love for the world prompted you to share it (I believe) .
So I think acknowledgement for you is worthy.
Secondly, of course you want to give the best for your family, so I am very sure that your research took you on the road to find the best and that is for sure your recommendation.
My wife, is always pushing me to take Vitamin C on a daily basis and I lovingly accept it. I normally take 1000mg a day and find it really great.
I will get her to take a look to see if we can get Nutribiotic Ascorbic Acid Powder locally and check it out.
We live in a small provincial town in Thailand so it can be challenging to get specific items sometimes.
Great post and thank you!
Tim
Hi Tim,
Thank you for your encouraging words, you’ve made my day!
Do keep up with the 1000 mg vitamin C daily, it’s great for boosting your immunity. Just take a look at the ingredients list on what you’re taking, if there’re no questionable additives, then actually you can just stick with it since it’s working well for you.
Hi Joo,
I never knew you could get vitamin supplements in its natural form, without any preservatives and any additional additives. Today it is nearly impossible to find anything natural and without all kinds of additives, preservatives and colorants.
I notice the Nutribiotic Asorbic Acid comes in a 2.2 pound container. If a family of 4 takes the supplement every day how long will a container like this last?
I also live in a area with high humidity. What is the best storage advice you can give me to keep the powder getting affected from high humidity conditions?
Thanks for sharing a great review with us!
Hi Rika,
Vitamin C supplements are mostly derived and extracted from food sources, so I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘natural’. But this Nutribiotic product is certainly considered pure, free of toxins, pollutants and any additives. It is also not derived from corn, which is the issue with many vitamin C supplements, as they are frequently derived from corn, and corn has the prevalent issue of being mainly GMO, unless it is specified to be not so.
As for storage of vitamin C powder, the main factor that would cause it to lose its efficacy is light. So as long as you replace the cap tightly each time after use, then humidity should not be too big an issue, I haven’t had any problem with that, my area is also high humidity. The more important thing is to store it in a dark place, like your pantry cupboard, and most importantly in an opaque container, which the original containers are.
I had no idea that vitamin C could help with prevention of strokes, although I do know it helps to iron out those wrinkles when applied to your face.
I take my vitamin C in the form of effervescent tablets. Do you know if this is better or worse than taking it in powder form like you have recommended as both mix with water.
I definitely feel more energetic when I have my dose of vitamin C and it gives me a wonderful energy boost for the whole day.
Hi Michel,
I used to take the effervescent tablets as a kid. But I don’t give those to my own kids, as most of these have some form of flavouring, which I’m trying to avoid especially for those two kids with eczema. But everyone is different, some can take additives in their food for their entire lives without a single issue. So maybe just take a look at the ingredients list, and decide whether to continue or switch over from there.
Hey, Joo!
I truly love your approach to supplement research and I truly appreciate the dedication you displayed to find the best one out there.
I myself, much like yourself, are more into pill forms of vitamins as they are just way more convenient to take. In the past I have found that over time I simply stop taking a supplement daily that is in a form of powder as for some random reason I eventually grow tired of dealing myself with the seemingly mundane task.
On the other hand though, I had no idea that such approach to the ascorbic acid can help make bone broth happen and make it more nutritious. So, there definitely are advantages to the powder form. Which makes it definitely worth considering even while one is using the pill form of the vitamin C daily.
I also wanted to express my gratitude for being straight-forward and transparent with the article, I do appreciate it.
Cheers and have a Great One!Matiss
Hi Matiss,
Thanks for dropping by! Popping pill form of vitamin C is definitely much more convenient than having to scoop up the powder, which may make a mess depending on whether I’m fully awake or not, haha.. Vitamin C pills can also be brought along to work, when mornings get very crazy because of the mad rush. I’ll surely be trying to do a review of the pill form of vitamin C supplement.
I have had a tablet form of vitamin c but I am not sure if it contained filler or additives as you have mentioned to avoid. I am curious to try the powder version of vitamin c that you mentioned. Would it go great in a smoothie? You mentioned putting it in your soup or just a regular glass of water.
Hi Jessie,
Yes, it will certainly do great in your smoothie, as it dissolves easily. Do give it a try!