Vitamin C is one of those staples we rely on when we catch those pesky flus and colds. We hear all kinds of great things about vitamin C helping to boost our immune system’s fighting power—exactly what we want when we’re trying to fight a bug, right? But did you know that not all vitamin C is created equal? Unfortunately, most of the vitamin C supplements that we find at our local drug store are isolated vitamin C, or synthetic, often referred to as ascorbic acid. This is only “a distillate of naturally occurring vitamin C.” 1 In other words, it is only a small part of the phytonutrients that naturally make up vitamin C.
“Over 90% of ascorbic acid in this country is manufactured at a facility in Nutley, New Jersey, owned by Hoffman-LaRoche, one of the world’s biggest drug manufacturers…. Here ascorbic acid is made from a process involving cornstarch and volatile acids. Most U.S. vitamin companies then buy the bulk ascorbic acid from this single facility. After that, marketing takes over. Each company makes its own labels, its own claims, and its own formulations, each one claiming to have the superior form of vitamin C, even though it all came from the same place, and it’s really not vitamin C at all. FRACTIONATED = SYNTHETIC = CRYSTALLINE = FAKE. The word synthetic means two things: manmade [and] occurs nowhere in nature.” 1
Here at Olson Chiropractic, we searched earnestly to offer you the highest-quality, most-healing vitamin C supplement on the market. It has been selling in our office for about 2 years now, and we can’t say enough good things about it. The product comes from a health company called Health Force. They are also the creators of Vitamineral Green—the wonderful, all-round, whole-food supplement that we love. Health Force is one of the leading producers in naturally occurring, whole-food, organic supplements. They put a lot of integrity into the products they create, because they know the healing power that is available through the use of whole foods. Their Truly Natural Vitamin C is a “naturally occurring, truly natural, absorbable vitamin C complex from a whole food extract of acerola berry. Food sources of the entire vitamin C complex are the only way to get nutrition as nature intended.” 2
As the cooler weather hits, adding a natural form of vitamin C to your morning smoothie, your cup of juice, or just drinking it in some warm water, will help support your immune system, offer your body some powerful antioxidant activity, and promote healing. “When we get enough in our diets, vitamin C helps detoxify our bodies, promotes healing of all of our cells, and allows us to better deal with stress. It also supports the good bacteria in our gut, destroys detrimental bacteria and viruses, neutralizes harmful free radicals, removes heavy metals, protects us from pollution, and much more.” 3
1. thedoctorwithin.com. “Natural Whole Food Vitamins: Ascorbic Acid Is Not Vitamin C.” http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/vitaminC/Ascorbic-Acid-Is-Not-Vitamin-C/
2. healthforce.com. https://healthforce.com/longevity-immunity/truly-natural-vitamin-c
3. Melissa Makris. “The health benefits of vitamin C go well beyond a stronger immune system.” 11 April 2011. naturalnews.com. http://www.naturalnews.com/032027_vitamin_C_immune_system.html
Photo of Truly Natural Vitamin C from healthforce.com.
Photo of acerola berries from www.incrediblesmoothies.com.
