Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Role
Dual purpose: acid profile (makes drink palatable) + vitamin C nutrition
Amount
- Per serving: 1/2 tsp
- Per batch (×48): 1/2 cup
Nutrition
- ~2,250 mg vitamin C per serving (2,500% DV)
- At 2 tumblers/day: ~4,500 mg total (split across the day)
Safety
- ✅ MCAS safe
- ✅ Low salicylate (synthetic, not from citrus)
- Safe for everyone in household
Vitamin C Dose Discussion
The dose is high relative to DV, but context matters:
- Plasma half-life is ~30 min to 2 hours — your body processes each tumbler independently
- Water-soluble — excess is excreted via urine, does not accumulate like fat-soluble vitamins
- Absorption decreases with dose — at ~200mg you absorb ~100%, at 1,000mg about 50%
- UL of 2,000 mg/day is based on GI side effects (diarrhea, cramping), not toxicity
- Chris has been using 1/2 tsp with no GI issues
- 1,000mg vitamin C tablets are sold everywhere — this is a common supplemental dose
Why This Replaced Tartaric Acid
Originally the recipe used tartaric acid for acidity + lower ascorbic acid for vitamin C. But since Chris was already using 1/2 tsp ascorbic acid and it worked well as the sole acid, tartaric acid was dropped to simplify the recipe and reduce cost/ingredients.
Source
BulkSupplements, 1 lb — ~$13, ~206 servings, reorder every ~6 weeks Search “BulkSupplements ascorbic acid powder 1lb” on Amazon