How To Use Vitamin C to Protect Your Health

In my journey to recover from burnout there have have been so many nutrients that have helped me get back my spark. Vitamin C has been a key player.

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It wasn't until I had vitamin c on board and took it faithfully that I was able to recover from the years of relentless stress I had been under, that put me into adrenal burnout. Stress increases your need for vitamin c. Your adrenal glands have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body, as well as your eyes and brain.

Your adrenal glands use vitamin c to help you produce your adrenal hormones, notably cortisol. My cortisol was TANKED (based on my DUTCH Hormone panel) back in 2015. So, I had to take vitamin C like it was my new religion. To this day, it's a key nutrient I take in addition to focusing on including it in my diet.

I also stopped getting sick once I faithfully started taking my whole food Vitamin C. Vitamin C is very powerful for fighting infections and boosting your immune system. In adrenal burnout, it is very common for people to get sick frequently and recover slowly. If that has been your experience, this post is important for you. 

In light of the state of emergency we are currently in with the Corona virus right now, I want to share some information with you to consider as well as some recommendations for Vitamin C products. Quality matters friends.

So, let's dive in ...

Vitamin C (the whole complex of the vitamin, not solely ascorbic acid) is essential to human survival. You and I, can't manufacture our own vitamin C so we have to get it in our food.

Vitamin C in Foods

The best source of vitamin C comes in vine ripened, raw fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is degraded and lost in the cooking process, so it's best to consume fresh produce to ensure you get the most from your food. It's also a good idea to try and get produce locally that you know has been picked recently and allowed to ripen fully. Fully ripened fruits and veggies will have higher concentrations of the vitamin than produce picked early and shipped across the country.

Foods like; strawberries, acerola cherry, citrus fruits papaya, kiwi, bell peppers, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, broccoli. Raw fermented kraut is another good source if you can tolerate histamine.

To get enough vitamin C to bring you out of deficiency (if you are someone already in a state of burnout like I was), you would need to eat anywhere from 8-12 servings per day to get the recommended dose of 1000-2000 mg to help with adrenal fatigue.

Let's be honest, most of you won't achieve this on a daily basis which is why adding a supplement is good insurance for your health.

Vitamin C Quality

Most vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is made from GMO corn. GMO corn is high in toxins and nutritionally inferior. I steer clear of it and help my clients do the same.

I look for vitamin C in it's whole form for my primary supplement then compliment it with other forms when I need to up my dose. Such as, in times of illness or outbreaks like we are dealing with now.

I also prefer the whole form for daily use because it includes more factors than ascorbic acid, such as 14 known bioflavonoids and much more. Ascorbic acid is more of a medicine, which definitely has it's place for use. To me that use is not on a daily basis.

When I look for vitamin C products to use I'm looking first for quality organic whole foods, and whole food sourced non-gmo vitamin c supplements. Then, when flus, colds and viruses go around I go for the medicinal form (ascorbic acid in a non-GMO form) and add it in on top of those.

Vitamin C Dosages

Generally speaking I like to introduce any new supplement slowly and titrate it up over time.
But in times of urgent health concerns, you won't have time for that.

So, right now, I am recommending my clients start with 1000 mg daily, in 4 divided doses. Then they can work up to 2000 mg doses daily, in 4 divided doses.

Higher doses up to 6000-10,000 mg may be helpful when one falls ill and that illness goes beyond a mild state.

Dr. Carolyn Dean shared a post about intravenous vitamin c ( in ascorbic acid form) that China used. I'm not going to assume I will have access to that level of treatment, so I'm preventing now. You can too. It's good to know we have more holistic treatment options growing in awareness.

This is something you can do now as a precaution. It's also smart to stock up now in case you do not have access to fresh produce. I highly recommend you stock up now for a least a month's worth for your family. I just checked and my dispensary has many in stock (at the time of publishing 3/14/20).

Here are some vitamin C options I recommend:

I like this vitamin C capsule from Garden of Life. I use it with all my clients too.
I like this vitamin C spray for kids (in orange flavor or in tangerine cherry flavor). 10 sprays  4 times per day during allergy or flu season. You can go back to twice per as a maintenance dose after the threat of illness has passed.
I use Zint camu camu powder in clients who have histamine intolerances. 
OR Amla which is a super berry high in whole food C in a tablet form for histamine issues and ease of taking a pill. 
I like this C Complete powder by Innate Response. It's food based paired with mineral ascorbates for optimal absorption. Great tasting and gentle on your stomach. High in antioxidants and bioflavonoids. Take 1/2 scoop 4 times daily for 1000 mg. Or 4 scoops 4 times daily for 2000 mg.
I use this liposomal C and follow the label instructions -once you open it you use it up within 30 days. 1 tsp in is 1000 mg and the perfect addition to add to your 1000 mg of whole food c.




Obviously, vitamin C is just one nutrient we need right now for optimal health and as a preventative. If you are ready to recover from burnout so your body is healthy day in and out I invite you to check out how you can work with me as a client: I offer a few ways to support you on your health journey.

If you have any questions, drop them below for me and I'll be happy to answer them.

*Note: this post contains links to my online supplement dispensary. Any purchase you make through me allows me to earn a small commission, and up to a 15% savings to you along with free shipping on orders over $75.