What lemons and sea buckthorn have in common.

The answer: vitamin C. And although we associate lemons with the “feel-good vitamin,” sea buckthorn, which is included in BERTRAND drinking meals as a particularly valuable source of vitamin C, contains a surprisingly large amount of it. 100 g of lemon contains around 53 mg of vitamin C, while sea buckthorn provides around 900 mg per 100 g—18 times as much of the vitamin.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends a daily vitamin C intake of 80 mg in its reference values. Thus, around two lemons already cover the daily requirement, and three Bertrand Classic drinking meals, each prepared with 167 g of powder, provide us with almost 90 mg of the vitamin in total, covering the daily requirement.

But what makes vitamin C—known as ascorbic acid in chemistry—so important and such a vital part of our diet? Why and when should we always make sure we get enough vitamin C?

Vitamins cannot be exchanged for one another

Vitamins are essential for life because our bodies cannot produce them themselves. They must therefore be obtained through food. Since each vitamin has a different function in our metabolism, they cannot be exchanged for or replaced by one another. While many vitamins are also found in animal products, vitamin C occurs only in plant-based foods and has several important functions for our bodies and health, as well as playing a role in many metabolic processes. For one thing, vitamin C is involved in the formation of collagen, a protein that makes up our connective and supporting tissue and helps build and maintain our skin, bones, and teeth. Vitamin C also plays an important role in wound healing and scar formation, for example after injuries and burns. The vitamin is also involved in cell growth.

Particularly important for vegetarians and vegans

Two other main functions of vitamin C are protecting our body from free radicals through its antioxidant effect and supporting the immune system. Free radicals are compounds that can cause cell damage and cell mutations. The consequences include illnesses such as cancer, cataracts, and arteriosclerosis. When obtained through our diet, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. These antioxidants react with free radicals, slowing them down or rendering them harmless. In our immune system, vitamin C also supports the work of white blood cells, helping to defend against pathogens and form antibodies. Other functions include breaking down medications in our body and absorbing iron in the intestines. This is particularly important for people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet and therefore do not obtain iron from meat and meat products. Consuming vitamin C-rich foods helps the body absorb and utilize iron from plant-based foods more effectively.

The antiscorbutic acid

But can a diet containing too much vitamin C also have negative effects? And is it still possible to develop a vitamin C deficiency nowadays? As a rule, a very vitamin-rich diet that provides more vitamin C than the recommended daily intake of 80 mg does not cause any side effects. Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, so an overdose of around 200 mg or more is generally simply excreted in the urine. If intake is significantly higher than the body needs, it may only lead to diarrhea or stomach pain. However, such an overdose of vitamin C almost never results from a vitamin-rich diet alone, but is usually caused by additionally taking highly dosed preparations and dietary supplements. A vitamin C deficiency is also rather rare given today's food supply and diet. While scurvy, the seafarers' disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, was still widespread in the 16th and 17th centuries—hence the former name antiscorbutic acid—because there were hardly any vitamin-rich foods on board, only a few groups of people are at risk of developing a deficiency today.

Vitamin C is therefore not only the “feel-good vitamin,” but also one of the most valuable vitamins when it comes to a healthy and balanced diet, and it can be obtained from many different plant-based foods, thereby contributing to our health and vitality. Right at the forefront: sea buckthorn!

In this blog post, we take a closer look at the sea buckthorn we use: Introducing: Sea Buckthorn in BERTRAND

Write us an email

Carolin | B.Sc. Nutritional Science
hey@bertrand.bio
Carolin studied nutritional science at the Hochschule Niederrhein and regularly writes articles about healthy eating. Are you interested in a specific topic?