What is the best source of vitamin C?

Sally Fallon Morell: “Desiccated fruits high in vitamin C is a better option than synthetic ascorbic acid. These will be the supplements of choice in the new era of natural medicine.”

When you think about vitamin C rich foods, oranges are probably the first thing that comes to mind. While oranges are rich in vitamin C, the tiny but mighty acerola cherry has anywhere from 50-125 times the vitamin C of oranges! In addition to bursting with vitamin C, the acerola cherry is also rich in numerous phytonutrients such as carotenoids and anthocyanins. To put a cherry on top of this vitamin C story, acerola also has a tart but delicious taste which makes it a wonderful way to increase the vitamin C in your diet. We recommend Perfect Supplements Acerola Cherry Capsules and Powder, currently on sale until November 12 for 38% off when combined with our coupon code “nourish.” They also have Zincerola Capsules, which are a combination of guava leaves, a natural source of zinc, as well as acerola cherries. All of the Perfect Supplements products are on sale including the desiccated liver capsules and powder we just published an article about! Be sure to use our coupon code “nourish” for an additional 10% off.

Why not just eat fresh acerola cherries, you might ask? They ripen and spoil very quickly after being picked. If you want to consume fresh acerola cherries, you only have about 5 days from when they are picked before they begin to spoil. In addition, as the acerola ripens, the vitamin C content decreases. As most Acerola grows in South America, it makes getting fresh, Vitamin C rich acerola cherries in the United States very difficult.

REASONS TO AVOID SYNTHETIC VITAMIN C

Many of the ascorbic acid supplements on the market are made from GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) corn. Corn is basically treated with chemicals or enzymes to produce ascorbic acid.

The Root Cause Protocol, founded by Morley Robbins, advises against synthetic vitamin C (ascorbic acid), claiming that isolated ascorbic acid is only an outer “shell” rather than the complete, natural vitamin C complex. They argue synthetic ascorbic acid lacks the natural cofactors, enzymes, and bioflavonoids (such as those tied to tyrosinase and copper) required by the body. The protocol asserts that taking isolated ascorbic acid can lower bioavailable copper, disrupt ceruloplasmin, and negatively impact how the body manages iron. Instead of synthetic supplements or drugstore ascorbic acid, the protocol recommends food-first or whole-food-derived sources of vitamin C (such as acerola cherry and camu camu).

The Weston A. Price Foundation writes the following in their Guide to Superfoods about recommend forms of Vitamin C:

“A berry rich in ascorbic acid, acerola provides vitamin C with numerous cofactors, including bioflavonoids and rutin, to optimize the body’s uptake and use of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C, the most important dietary antioxidant, was popularized by Linus Pauling who recommends taking pure ascorbic acid in amounts up to 15 grams a day for a variety of ailments. But large quantities of vitamin C may be harmful to the kidneys and can lead to deficiencies in bioflavonoids. Only small quantities of natural vitamin C in the form of acerola tablets can provide the same protection as large amounts of pure ascorbic acid, without the side effects.”

The Importance of Vitamin C

Rami Nagel author of Cure Tooth Decay explains that “dentist Royal Lee believed that vitamin C is the most important of the vitamins, and is the most difficult to get. It is oxidized so easily that it disappears in storage of citrus fruits and vegetables. Humans do not have the ability to make ascorbic acid and must obtain vitamin C from their diet. Vitamin C is thus considered an essential dietary component, it protects against damage caused by free radicals, and is essential for the body to have to make collagen—the flexible protein found in cartilage, tendons, bone, and skin.” Rami created this list that follows, and I added the amount of vitamin C listed for Perfect Supplement’s acerola cherry products:

Vitamin C in food

• Perfect Acerola Capsules 2 capsules = 186 mg
• Perfect Acerola Powder – 1.3 grams or about a ¼ heaping teaspoon serving = 240 mg
• Guava – 1 fruit – 5 grams of sugar = 126 mg
• Papaya – 1 cup cubed – 8 grams of sugar = 87 mg
• Parsley – 1 cup raw = 80 mg
• Kiwi – 1 medium – 7 grams of sugar = 70 mg
• Orange – 1 large – 14 grams of sugar = 60 to 83 mg
• Organic camu camu [depends on brand] – ¼ teaspoon = 60 mg
• Kale – 1 cup = 53 mg
• Red, yellow, green pepper – 1 ounce = 50 mg
• Broccoli – ½ cup = 50 mg
• Kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, cauliflower – ½ cup = 35 mg
• Lemon – 1 regular = 31 mg
• Strawberry – 4 medium – 4 grams of sugar = 28 mg
• Potato – 1 whole = 20 mg
• Milk – 4 cups 19 = mg
• Persimmon – 1 fruit = 16 mg
• Tomato – 1 medium = 15 mg
• Raw sauerkraut – ¼ cup = 9 mg
• Dried rose hips, sometimes recommended for vitamin C supplementation, often do not contain too much vitamin C unless freshly picked.

perfect supplements acerola cherry capsules and powder

• Just one ingredient – organic acerola cherry powder
• No synthetic vitamin C
• Ethically grown in Brazil
• No fillers or flow agents
• Non-GMO
• Earth friendly glass bottle
• Tested for heavy metals
• Tested for purity
• Money back guarantee

Again, we recommend Acerola Cherry Capsules and Powder, currently on sale until November 12 for 38% off when combined with our coupon code “nourish.” They also have Zincerola Capsules, which are a combination of guava leaves, a natural source of zinc, as well as acerola cherries. All of the Perfect Supplements products are on sale including the desiccated liver capsules and powder we just published an article about! Be sure to use our coupon code “nourish” for an additional 10% off their 28% sale already in effect.

Sale ends Thursday, November 12 at 11:59PM PST.

Disclosures