Nutriting nuVitaminC - Vitamin C Quali®-C Premium

What is Nutriting nuVitamineC?

Nutriting nuVitamineC is a vitamin C supplement in orange-flavoured chewable tablets, providing 500 mg per two tablets. The bottle holds 60 of them, that is, one to two months depending on the dose you settle on.

The raw material is Quali®-C vitamin C, produced in Dalry, Scotland. This point deserves explaining rather than brandishing: the overwhelming majority of the world's vitamin C is produced in China, and Quali®-C is one of the few European supply chains still operating. The molecule obtained is exactly the same — L-ascorbic acid — but the production chain and its traceability are different. It is a legitimate selection criterion, not a biological property. The tablet itself is made in France. The rest of the range can be found in our Nutriting section.

The chewable format also sets this product apart from most vitamin C on the market, which is sold in capsules or as effervescent powder. The tablet is chewed, it has an orange taste given by a natural flavouring, and it is sweetened with xylitol.

What does a two-tablet serving contain?

The manufacturer does not publish the net weight of the bottle in the information available to us; the packaging carries it.

500 mg is six times the European reference value, which stands at 80 mg. That figure calls for an honest explanation rather than a sales pitch. The intestinal absorption of vitamin C saturates progressively: at 80 mg, virtually all of it gets through; at 500 mg, a significant share is eliminated in the urine. Put another way, taking 500 mg in one go does not multiply by six what your body gets out of it.

This does not strip the high dose of all interest, but it does steer how you use it: one 250 mg tablet morning and evening is better than two tablets in one go, because splitting the dose limits saturation. It is also why the manufacturer allows one to two tablets a day depending on your needs.

The authorised claims for vitamin C are numerous and worth quoting as they stand: it contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels, bones, cartilage and skin, to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, and to increasing iron absorption. The last of these is the most concrete day to day: if you take an iron supplement, swallowing it with a vitamin C tablet is the most useful thing you will do all day.

The formula is finally notable for what it does not contain: no gluten, no gelatine, no titanium dioxide, no artificial colouring, no nanoparticles, no GMOs, and the product is not irradiated. In an aisle where a great many questionable excipients are still to be found, that is a real argument.

Ingredients list

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid, Quali®-C), bulking agent: microcrystalline cellulose, natural orange flavouring, sweetener: xylitol, anti-caking agent: magnesium salts of fatty acids. Gluten-free, free from major allergens, free from bovine and porcine gelatine, free from nanoparticles, free from heavy metals, GMO-free, non-irradiated, free from titanium dioxide and artificial colouring. Raw material produced in Dalry, Scotland; tablet manufactured in France.

How do you take nuVitamineC?

Dose: 1 to 2 tablets, that is, 250 to 500 mg. Liquid: none is needed, the tablet is chewed. Timing: during a meal, preferably breakfast or lunch. Frequency: one to two servings a day. Duration: the manufacturer recommends a course of at least two to three months, with the option of continuous use.

Chew the tablet completely before swallowing. This is not a matter of comfort: a chewable tablet does not have the same coating as one meant to be swallowed, and swallowing it whole needlessly delays its dissolution. The orange taste is pronounced, the acidity moderate.

Taking it with a meal improves digestive tolerance. Vitamin C at a high dose is acidic, and on an empty stomach it gives some users heartburn. That single point accounts for most of the negative feedback on this family of products.

Avoid taking it late if you are sensitive. Some people describe difficulty falling asleep after a high dose of vitamin C in the evening. The morning or midday slot settles the question and coincides with the moment you take your multivitamin.

A word on xylitol: it is a polyol, very well tolerated in the amounts present in a tablet, but one that can have a laxative effect if you multiply the sources across the day. At two tablets, it poses no problem at all.

Who is nuVitamineC for, and who is it not for?

It suits someone looking for a vitamin C with a short, readable formula, free of questionable additives, with an identified origin for the raw material. It suits particularly well those who dislike swallowing capsules — the chewable format solves that problem better than any capsule can.

The manufacturer restricts it to adults and states that it is not to be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women. This restriction is stricter than what is usually seen on a vitamin C; we reproduce it as the manufacturer words it, without softening it. In the event of pregnancy, the question goes to your doctor, not to the retailer.

Two situations call for genuine caution, and the manufacturer names them: a history of kidney stones or kidney problems, since vitamin C at a high dose is partly metabolised into oxalate, and persistent digestive disorders, in which case the dose should be reduced or stopped. These are warnings to be taken seriously, especially at 500 mg a day over several months.

What not to expect from it: a vitamin C tablet acts neither on whether you catch a cold nor on how long it lasts. The only authorised wording is that it contributes to the normal function of the immune system, which means it helps a system to work normally when intake is insufficient. In someone who eats fruit and vegetables every day, the additional benefit of a tablet is small. It is during periods of low plant intake, in winter, or in smokers — whose requirements are higher — that supplementation makes sense.

Chewable tablet or vitamin C powder?

Both formats sit side by side on our shelves and answer different habits.

Powder lets you dose freely, from 100 mg to several grams, and works out markedly cheaper per gram. It is the better choice if you take high doses, if you mix it into a drink, or if you want to fine-tune. Its drawbacks are the acidity in the mouth, the need for a scale to be accurate, and the chore of preparing it every day.

The chewable tablet wins on simplicity and on sticking with it. You have one in your pocket, you chew it, and it is done — and over a three-month course, that is what makes the difference between a bottle finished and a bottle forgotten. The 250 mg dose per unit is also good granularity: enough to count, fine enough to split.

If your aim is winter immune support, be aware that vitamin C is not the only lever: zinc and vitamin D carry comparable claims and answer needs vitamin C does not cover. And if it is your skin and joints you are concerned about, vitamin C is the natural cofactor for collagen synthesis: the two go together very happily.

Frequently asked questions

One or two tablets a day?

Both are possible. One tablet provides 250 mg, two provide 500. If you go for the higher dose, split it into two separate servings instead: the absorption of vitamin C saturates, and 250 mg morning and evening are put to better use than 500 mg in one go.

Should it be taken with a meal?

Yes, preferably. Vitamin C at a high dose is acidic and causes heartburn in some users when taken on an empty stomach. A meal settles the problem without noticeably reducing absorption.

Why Scottish vitamin C?

Because Quali®-C is produced in Dalry, Scotland, whereas virtually all the world's vitamin C comes from China. The molecule is identical; what changes is the origin and traceability of the production. It is a selection criterion for some buyers, not a difference in effectiveness.

Is 500 mg a day too much?

It is six times the reference value, and part of it is eliminated in the urine rather than used. It is not dangerous in a healthy adult, but it is not very efficient. The real point to watch is a history of kidney stones, for which the manufacturer asks you to seek professional advice.

Does the tablet contain sugar?

No. The sweet taste comes from xylitol, a polyol that provides less energy than sugar and does not raise blood sugar in the same way. In the amounts present in one or two tablets, it poses no digestive tolerance problem.

Can it be taken all year round?

The manufacturer states that it can and recommends at least two to three months for a lasting effect. In practice, the period when supplementation makes the most sense runs from autumn to spring, when the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables drops. In summer, a varied diet is often enough.

Should it be combined with iron?

It is in fact the most useful combination in the whole aisle. Vitamin C contributes to increasing iron absorption, and that is an authorised claim. In concrete terms: take your tablet at the same time as your iron supplement, and you will get more out of it without changing the dose.

Where can you buy Nutriting nuVitamineC?

The bottle of 60 tablets can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the product we hand to customers who tell us they cannot manage to swallow capsules: over a three-month course, the format counts for more than the dose. The rest of the vitamin range can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.