Vitamin C for Food Intolerant Children

Vitamin C is a powerful water-soluble antioxidant essential for your child’s health and development. The body does not naturally store vitamin C. Therefore it is important your child eats food rich in vitamin C daily to avoid a deficiency.

Signs Your Child Has Vitamin C Deficiency

1. Bleeding Gums
2. Frequent Nose Bleeds
3. Dry Hair
4. Wrinkled dry skin
5. Iron deficiency
6. Falling sick frequently
7. Bruising Easily
8. Wounds not healing quickly
9. Fatigue and moodiness

Even if your child does not show signs of deficiency it is important especially for children with food intolerances to consume vitamin C daily.

Benefits of Vitamin C

Helps with Gluten Sensitivity

Gluten sensitivity could be caused by Vitamin C deficiency. Most people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease need to avoid gluten-containing food. But new research is suggesting that many cases of gluten sensitivity could be due to a nutrient deficiency.

One study found that treating celiac disease with nutrients might be able to reverse the condition. In the study published by the journal Allerlogia et Immunopathologia, it was found that when gluten samples were exposed to vitamin C, inflammatory markers resolved. These results strongly suggest that vitamin C supplementation is beneficial for gluten sensitive and celiac patients.

Acts as a Natural Anti-histamine

Vitamin C is a safe natural antihistamine. If your child has seasonal allergies or have an immune response to pollen, dust that releases histamine in the body vitamin C will help as an antihistamine to block histamine activity, seeking to stop the allergic reaction.

This powerful antioxidant can prevent infections and helps boost the immune system and keeping infections at bay.

Co-factor for Certain Enzymes

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient needed for enzyme production. It is required for the functioning of several enzymes.

It gives DAO (Diamine oxidase) enzyme a significant boost, which is another mechanism by which vitamin C lowers histamine levels in your body.

Enhances and Repairs Detoxification Functions

Vitamin C helps in the detoxification and removal of harmful substances from the body. Liver as the main blood purifying organ of the body removes the harmful substances from the blood.

If these toxic substances are not removed from the blood due the toxins may accumulate in very important parts of the body like brain and kidney leading to devastating health problems. Depletion or lack of vitamin C impairs the blood purifying mechanism of the liver.

The availability of ascorbic acid and other antioxidants neutralizes the free radicals and protects the cells from the oxidative damage.

Enhances and Rebuilds Glutathione

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that is naturally made in our body. Glutathione is a substance made from three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. Glutathione acts as an important antioxidant in your body. That means it helps to combat free radicals. Glutathione plays a role in many chemical reactions in your body.

Researchers have found that vitamin C helps increase glutathione levels as well as reprocess glutathione by converting oxidized glutathione back to its active form.

Repairs Bones and Collagen

The body needs vitamin C to form and strengthen collagen in bones, cartilage, muscles and blood vessels. Vitamin C also helps with the healing of minor wounds and helps your child’s teeth and gums stay healthy.

Improves Iron Absorption

The antioxidant vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from the food you eat. This is especially beneficial for kids as their rapid growth imposes high iron requirements.

Sources of Vitamin C

Some of the best food sources of vitamin C (per cup) Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) include:

Vitamin C is soluble in water. That means if the vegetable is cooked in water you will lose a significant amount of vitamin C. So raw fruits and vegetables are better sources than cooked ones.

But if you are going for the cooking option it is best to steam, dry microwave or pressure cook the vegetables to retain the vitamin C content.

For Sensitive Children

Certain fruits and vegetables are not suitable for people with salicylate sensitivity or histamine intolerances.

Foods High in Vitamin C for Highly Sensitive Children (mg per 100g)

Source: Fail Safe Food RPAH handbook 

Vitamin C Content of Low Salicylate Foods (mg per 100g)

Source:USDA

Recommended Supplements

But if your child has food sensitivities and is on a restrictive diet supplementing with Vitamin C is important.

Safe Vitamin C Supplements

• Melrose Calcium Ascorbate
• Melrose Sodium Ascorbate
• BioCeuticals Liposomal C
• Bioglan Cal C
• Herb Valley Vitamin C
• Golden Glow calcium Ascorbate (contains Gluten)

Vitamin C Requirements

Source: https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-c

Vitamin C is not toxic but may cause unpleasant side effects at high doses thus be careful of the dosage when giving your child.

If you are struggling with food intolerances, allergies, SIBO or other digestive problems, there are products that can help with symptom relief. I know it can be frustrating but there are treatment protocols and supplements which can really help.

I have designed this product guide to equip you with the best and most effective supplements you can buy for treatment as well as symptom relief. This list has been compiled through my own experience as well as working together with trusted and experienced practitioners.

You can check out my recommended supplement guide here.