Solgar Chewable Vitamin C 500mg, Orange
Chewable vitamin C helps support your immune system, builds the collagen that holds your skin, gums and blood vessels together, and helps reduce the tiredness that settles in after a long week.
It suits anyone who finds tablets hard to swallow, people who travel or train and want their vitamin C in a pocket, and households where one bottle has to cover several adults. Solgar makes this one in natural orange, sweet enough that you will remember to take it, with no artificial flavours or preservatives. Ninety tablets is three months at one a day.
What Vitamin C Does, in the Regulator’s Own Words
Vitamin C carries more approved European health claims than almost any other nutrient. These are the wordings a regulator examined the evidence for and accepted, which makes them both safer to print and more convincing than anything marketing could invent.
- Contributes to the normal function of the immune system, and to keeping it working normally during and after intense physical exercise.
- Contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, gums, teeth, bones, cartilage and blood vessels.
- Contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Contributes to normal psychological function and the normal function of the nervous system.
- Contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, and regenerates the reduced form of vitamin E.
- Increases iron absorption.
Vitamin C and Iron: The Kenyan Pairing
That last claim is the one worth dwelling on here. Most of the iron in a Kenyan plate comes from plants: beans, njahi, ndengu, sukuma wiki, managu and terere. Plant iron is harder for the body to take up than the iron in meat, and vitamin C taken in the same meal measurably improves how much of it crosses into your blood.
There is a second, very local piece to this. Strong tea with a meal is a Kenyan habit, and the tannins in tea work against plant iron in the opposite direction. Vitamin C in the same sitting helps tip that balance back.
So the most useful moment to chew this tablet is with a plate of beans and greens, rather than on an empty stomach first thing.
Why Chewable Vitamin C Suits People Who Skip Tablets
A supplement only works if it is taken. Plenty of adults quietly give up on a vitamin because swallowing a large tablet is unpleasant, and an effervescent needs a glass, water and a minute you may not have.
A chewable needs none of that. It travels in a handbag, a glovebox or a gym bag, it works at a desk or on a matatu, and it tastes of orange. That is the entire reason this format exists and it is a better reason than it sounds.
Three Forms of Vitamin C, and Why Solgar Uses Them
The 500mg in each tablet comes from sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and L-ascorbic acid together, rather than ascorbic acid on its own.
The two ascorbates are buffered forms, meaning the vitamin arrives paired with a mineral rather than as a free acid. People who find plain vitamin C sharp on the stomach generally get on better with a blend like this, and the xylitol in the tablet is a sweetener dentists like rather than one they warn about.
For Training, Travel and Long Days
One of the approved claims is specifically about keeping the immune system working normally during and after intense physical exercise, at intakes above the ordinary daily amount. At 500mg a tablet, this comfortably clears that bar.
The same applies to a week of long days, night shifts, travel or a house where everyone has a cold. This is the moment most people reach for vitamin C, and the tiredness and immune claims are exactly the ground it stands on.
What Is in the Tablet
Vitamin C 500mg per chewable tablet, from sodium ascorbate, L-ascorbic acid and calcium ascorbate. Sweetened with sucrose, fructose and xylitol, flavoured with natural orange and coloured with annatto.
The tablet also contains microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable stearic acid, silica, vegetable magnesium stearate, xanthan gum and carrageenan. It is suitable for vegans and free from gluten, wheat, yeast, artificial flavours and artificial preservatives.
Who This Chewable Vitamin C Is For
Adults who want a daily vitamin C they will actually keep taking. Anyone who eats mostly plant-based iron and wants more of it to count. People who train hard, travel often, or work through a season when everyone around them is coughing. Smokers, whose vitamin C requirement is higher than average. And anybody who has given up on a supplement because of the size of the tablet.
How to Take It, and What to Expect
Chew one tablet a day, preferably with a meal. With a meal is where the iron benefit happens, and it is also the gentlest time for your stomach. Rinse your mouth with a little water afterwards, which is a good habit with any chewable or fizzy vitamin C.
Vitamin C is used as you need it and the rest is passed each day, which is why it works as a daily habit rather than a course. Most people feel the difference in energy over a couple of weeks; skin and gums are a longer, slower story, because collagen is built over months.
Is Chewable Vitamin C Right for You?
Vitamin C is one of the safest supplements there is, and this is one tablet a day. Our pharmacist is glad to check it through with you first if any of these apply:
- You are watching your sugar or take medicine for diabetes, since the tablet is sweetened with sucrose and fructose as well as xylitol.
- You have had kidney stones or have a kidney condition, so we can talk about the right daily amount for you.
- You already take a multivitamin or another vitamin C, so we can add up your total and keep it comfortably under the adult upper limit of 2000mg a day.
- Your teeth are sensitive or you wear braces, in which case chew, rinse and avoid holding the tablet against your teeth.
Side effects are uncommon at this amount. Very large daily doses can loosen the stomach, which settles quickly when the amount comes down.
Storing It
Keep the bottle closed in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, and out of reach of children. Do not exceed the recommended dose.
Where to Buy Chewable Vitamin C in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. Packed to travel, cool-boxed where the weather calls for it, and tracked from our counter to your door.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. What we need to know first is your country’s import rules for vitamin supplements and how long the parcel will be in transit; we will tell you plainly if a destination is not worth the shipping cost.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. You pay online from where you live, we deliver to their door anywhere on the list above, and we confirm with you once it has arrived. Give us their name, their phone number and the estate or town they live in, and we will do the rest.
Why Buy Your Chewable Vitamin C from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored.
Our pharmacists can add up the vitamin C across everything you take, help you choose between chewable and effervescent formats for your household, and tell you which one suits a person on a salt-restricted or sugar-restricted diet, so you buy the right one first time.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chewable vitamin C good for?
Immunity, skin and gums, and everyday tiredness, all of which are approved European health claims for vitamin C. It also increases how much iron your body absorbs from food, which matters a great deal on a diet built around beans and greens. Solgar supplies 500mg in one orange tablet a day.
How many tablets should I take a day?
One, chewed with a meal. That is the manufacturer’s direction and it delivers well above the daily reference intake, including the higher amount the exercise-related immune claim is based on.
Is it better with food or on an empty stomach?
With food, for two reasons. The iron benefit only happens when the vitamin C and the meal are in your stomach together, and a meal is the gentlest setting for any vitamin C.
Will it damage my teeth?
Chew it, then rinse your mouth with a little water, and you are fine. Dentists have reported enamel wear in people who chewed several acidic vitamin C tablets a day over long periods, usually while holding them against the teeth. At one a day, with a meal and a rinse, that is a habit rather than a hazard, and the xylitol in this tablet is a sweetener dentists actively like.
Does it contain sugar?
Yes. It is sweetened with sucrose and fructose alongside xylitol, which is what makes a chewable pleasant. If you are watching your sugar, talk to our pharmacist, who may point you to the effervescent format instead.
Chewable or effervescent, which should I buy?
Chewable if you want something portable, quick and pleasant, or if you are on a salt-restricted diet, since effervescent tablets carry sodium. Effervescent if you prefer a drink, want a higher single dose, or are avoiding sugar. Our pharmacist will help you match the format to the household.
What are the three forms of vitamin C on the label?
Sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and L-ascorbic acid. The first two are buffered, which means the vitamin comes paired with a mineral rather than as a free acid, and people with a sensitive stomach usually find a blend like this easier than plain ascorbic acid.
Can I take it with iron tablets?
Yes, and it is a well-known pairing, because vitamin C increases iron absorption. Take them together rather than hours apart, and mention it to our pharmacist so we can look at your whole routine.
How much vitamin C is too much?
The adult upper limit for supplements is 2000mg a day from all sources. One tablet here is 500mg, so there is plenty of room, but it is worth adding up if you also take a multivitamin or a fizzy vitamin C drink.
Is it suitable for vegans?
Yes. It is suitable for vegans and free from gluten, wheat, yeast, artificial flavours and artificial preservatives.
Can children chew these?
Ask our pharmacist first. At 500mg a tablet this is formulated for adults, and children need a smaller amount, so we would rather size it properly for the child than have you halve an adult tablet.
Where can I buy chewable vitamin C in Kenya?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request.
