April is National Stress Awareness month and yesterday I was doing an online hangout with the lovely ladies over at Aging But Dangerous:
https://www.agingbutdangerous.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/agingbutdangerous/
As their go-to nutritionist, the topic we were talking about was stress. Stress really is the number one killer and is an underlying predator of all of life’s challenges and the diseases we face like heart disease, anxiety, diabetes and more.
The dictionary definition of stress is:
1.pressure or tension exerted on a material object.”the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar” synonyms: pressure, tension, strain, tightness, tautness; rare tensity” the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar”
2.a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.”he’s obviously under a lot of stress“
What is interesting to note is that stress is not just emotional and having to do with the mind. Stress on the body comes from overwork, overuse, abuse, neglect, poor nutrition, deficiencies, lack of sleep, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea.
One way to help with stress is with Vitamin C. Yep good old Vitamin C is VERY beneficial for stress. According to an article from Psychology Today, in 2003:
“People who have high levels of vitamin C do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to acute psychological challenges. What’s more, they bounce back from stressful situations faster than people with low levels of vitamin C in their blood.
In one study German researchers subjected 120 people to a sure-fire stressor—a public speaking task combined with math problems. Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Such signs of stress as elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high blood pressure were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who got vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin.”
Our adrenal glands also play a key role in stress response by secreting the hormones adrenaline, aldosterone, and cortisol. Our adrenals will secrete vitamin C as a response to stress. Vitamin C stores can be depleted very easily and rapidly when individuals are under constant stress.
Research has also shown that those supplementing with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) demonstrate lower blood pressure, faster salivary cortisol recovery, and better subjective stress responses.
Vitamin C has been linked to many impressive health benefits beyond helping with the common cold, such as boosting antioxidant levels, reducing blood pressure, reducing heart disease risk, protecting against gout attacks, improving iron absorption, boosting immunity and reducing dementia risk.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained from the diet or supplements. Overall, vitamin C supplements are a great and simple way to boost your vitamin C intake and maximize all of the benefits of using vitamin c in stress management and in betterment of your overall health and wellness.
I have three preferred brands that I use with my clients. One is a drinkable supplement that comes in an Isotonic form, which means it is highly bio-available to the body and is pleasant to drink. (available to USA & Canada & Other Countries that are Applicable) The second is for my Canadian clients (this is a Canadian owned and operated company SISU) and is in tablet form and is Ester-C, the only form of vitamin C that delivers 24-HOUR IMMUNE Support. It is also better absorbed and more bioavailable due to the active vitamin C metabolites only found in Ester-C. It is also non-acidic and gentle on the stomach.
And thirdly, for my USA clients I recommend this brand of Ester C that also has Quercetin, which is a flavonoid present in many fruits and vegetables. Due to its antioxidant and other properties, it has a variety of health benefits
All three of these products offer both quality and exceptional delivery capabilities. It really comes down to preference as to what is best for your lifestyle. I have clients who love to make a morning cocktail and drink their vitamins customized to their needs and then they start their day. And then I have clients who prefer staggering out their intake and taking their vitamins in stages throughout the day, as well as clients who prefer to drink their vitamins and those who prefer to pop a pill or swallow a capsule. There is no right or wrong way, only what works for the individual in that they will take them, so that they get the benefit. 🙂
Here are the links to my three recommendations:

USA Quality Source of Ester-C with Quercetin
//us.fullscript.com/oembed/embed.jsCanadian Ester-C 1000 mg
//ca.fullscript.com/oembed/embed.jsI hope you found this post beneficial and if you are looking for more ways to help with stress, here are some prior posts that I have done on the topic of stress.
Maggie Holbik.com is a Board Certified Nutritionist, Registered Nutritional Therapist, Natural Nutrition Clinical Practitioner, Certified Life Coach and member in good standing of the Canadian Association of Natural Nutritional Practitioners. Maggie has been working with and recommending supplements for the past 25 years and is an avid learner in the field of health and wellness.