Key Takeaways
- Your body needs vitamin C every day, and your adrenal glands depend on it.
- Stress depletes vitamin C quickly.
- A vitamin C powder can be mixed into water or blended into a protein shake for an easy daily dose.
Vitamin C isn't trendy or exciting, Dr. Parsons admits, and a lot of people have blown it off. But your body needs it every day. In this video, she explains why, and shares two easy ways she gets hers.
Why Your Body Needs Vitamin C
Your adrenal glands, the small glands that manage your stress response, depend on vitamin C. Stress uses it up quickly, so if you're under a lot of stress, you may be going through your vitamin C faster than you think.
Two Easy Ways to Take It
Dr. Parsons currently prefers vitamin C in powder form. Here are two ways she uses it:
- Mixed into water: stir one scoop into a glass of water. She isn't a fan of citrus, so she adds a little stevia to sweeten it.
- In a "dreamsicle" shake: blend a dairy-free milk (or cow's milk, if you tolerate it) with a scoop of vanilla protein powder and a scoop of the vitamin C powder. She uses PurePaleo, a hydrolyzed beef protein with about 24 grams of protein per scoop. Use less liquid for a stronger orange flavor, or more for just a hint.
She compares the shake to the Dreamsicle and 50/50 bars from the ice cream truck, and you get your protein and vitamin C in one shot.
Wondering how much vitamin C you need? Dr. Parsons covers dosage in 10 Reasons Your Supplements Aren't Working. Learn more about our functional nutrition services.
Read the full video transcript
Hey everyone, it's Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, founder of the Natural Path Health Center, and we are talking about little old vitamin C, which a lot of you have blown off because it's not fun and sexy and trendy. However, your body has to have vitamin C every day. Did you know your adrenals depend on it? Your little stress-response glands, which get eaten up every day. I'm on a current trend where I like it in a powder. With this powder, there are a couple of things you could do. One, you can just dump one scoop in water and stir it up with a spoon. But I personally am not a fan of citrus, so to make it more appealing, I add in some stevia. A lot of you are like, "My gosh, that's a lot." Yeah, I like it sweet. Don't judge me. I like it sweet, and this is healthier. So you just stir it up, and then you have a delicious, yummy beverage that is also going to replenish the vitamin C that you are blowing through because you're all stressed. The other option, and this is something really fun: I take whatever type of dairy-free milk substitute (if you're able to do cow's milk, you could use that), and I add in one of my favorite protein powders. This is PurePaleo, which is a hydrolyzed form of beef. Straight protein. I add a scoop of that, which is about 24 grams. Right now, this is vanilla. But here's the kicker: I'm going to add in a scoop of my C++ BioFizz, and I'm going to blend this bad boy up. Remember when we were kids, and the ice cream truck came to your house, and you got the Dreamsicle or the 50/50 bar? This is what you just made. Yes, it's that tasty. If you want it to taste stronger, put in less liquid. If you just want a little essence of orange, add more liquid. But you're getting your protein and your vitamin C all in one shot, and it's not the same old boring vanilla, chocolate, blah, blah, blah. So kick up your vitamin C. Let's get healthy, sail through the summer, and feel awesome. Talk to you soon.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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