Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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A question: what is the optimal dose of Vitamin C per day? Currently I am taking 2x500mg. tablets but would prefer to jettison the pills and replace them with adequate amounts of natural substances(no fruit or starchy carb sources ideally). ANy ideas as to what qualifies as 'the optimal' dose for the average person?

flag	asked May 17 2011 at 12:58 PersonMan

	This is a good question. I've heard everything from 100mg to 18,000mg. I don't think anyone really knows or has studies that adequately address the topic. – UncleLongHair May 17 2011 at 19:38
	I got a rash in my mouth from taking a daily dosage of 1000mg. – No more. May 18 2011 at 0:31

pamipoi · Answer 1 · 2011-05-17 14:04:28Z UTC

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I can't answer the dosage question but a good source of vitamin C is fermented sauerkraut (not vinegar-made). It's my understanding that sea travelers would bring barrels of sauerkraut and eat it daily to prevent scurvy.

answered May 17 2011 at 14:04

pamipoi
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Better than limes. I don't live in Britain. Any natural sources that don't require proceedures of cooking etc.? – PersonMan May 17 2011 at 18:24

Travis Culp · Answer 2 · 2011-05-17 17:20:43Z UTC

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Red bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C with very little fructose. They should be eaten raw like an apple. I rather like the taste, to be honest.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2896/2

answered May 17 2011 at 17:20

Travis Culp♦
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	I used to but was turned away by the fructose content. Perhaps I am paranoid? Green bell peppers? – PersonMan May 17 2011 at 18:25
	Green ones are just unripe. 200mg of vitamin C for only 3 grams of fructose is a great trade-off. The reason why we avoid fructose is the fact that it causes hyperuricemia. Well, vitamin c intake increases urate excretion so in this case there is a clear net benefit. 3g of fructose is likely just going to be used to replete liver glycogen anyway. – Travis Culp♦ May 17 2011 at 19:04

Grocket · Answer 3 · 2011-05-17 18:54:03Z UTC

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For these types of questions I really like the "World's Healthiest Food's website". They have tons of information for many vitamins and minerals including food sources. Here is their entry on vitamin C.

answered May 17 2011 at 18:54

Grocket
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Been there but seek out the radical paleohacks as a more reliable source. – PersonMan May 17 2011 at 22:12

Vitamin C excess and deficiency

3 Answers