I want to share how important Vitamin D is for us. One of its primary functions is to help the body absorb calcium from food and supplements. This ensures our bones remain strong- without the two working together you have the possibility of developing weak bones. Rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults are very serious repercussions of vitamin D deficieny. Vitamin D has a number of other benefits than just helping bones; it has been shown to have positive effects with cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, memory, and fatigue. Lack of vitamin D shows an increase in the symptoms of these diseases.
So the best place to get vitamin D from is the SUN!!! This is why so many people are vitamin D deficient...they simply don't get enough sun. Essentially, when our skin is exposed to the sun the UVB light is converted to vitamin D. It is stored in our bodies as it is a fat soluble vitamin. Once this stored vitamin D is processed by the liver it becomes active and starts working in our bodies!The darker someone's skin, the harder it is for them to absorb enough vitamin D. Other groups also have trouble absorbing vitamin D and need more to reach normal levels. These include breastfed infants, elder individuals, people who have trouble absorbing fat, people who have had gastric bypass surgery, and obese individuals.
Taking vitamin D supplements is an excellent idea. If your diet does not include foods that contain it, or you do not get enough sun it is necessary! I went to a nutrition conference last year at UofT last year, and one of the main topics was vitamin D. One of the doctor's speaking said it was safe to go up to a maximum of 4000 IUs per day. A certain story from this conference that has stayed with me was about a patient this lady had. Her bones and muscles were so weak that she was unable to climb stairs, her figure was bent and had suffered from bone fractures. Within half a year of intensive vitamin D treatment this lady could walk straight and climb stairs- something she had not been able to do for many years.
While recommended daily allowances suggest 400-800 IUs per day studies have shown that greater levels provide the extra benefits that help the diseases I've mentioned above. My personal vitamin D supplement is D Drops. They literally have no flavour and you can put them on food, in a drink, or just on the back of your hand! There are also a number of pills you can choose from. I have tried a few and find them to be very chalky so I prefer the drops. You can also get chocolate vitamin D chews which are tasty but add unnecessary sugar to your diet.
It is important to remember that life stage, your own personal health status, and what/if you have certain diseases play important roles in figuring out how much vitamin D you need. Also while the sun is the best place to get your vitamin D from this does NOT mean I would suggest tanning beds AT ALL! Those are 100% linked to skin cancer and should not be used as an excuse for getting vitamin D. Furthermore, while skin without sunscreen is the best way to get enough vitamin D from the sun, you only need about 20 minutes without it and I would definitely suggest putting some on after that.
So guys, start getting enough vitamin D. Get out in the sun, and make a delicious meal of lemon-dill salmon with some stuffed mushrooms ;) and hit up the natural health food store to get your supplements when you know you're not getting enough.
If you were curios about your vitamin D levels, there are tests your doctors can do...some clinics cover it, but the majority have it as an extra test you need to pay for.
I've included some links here for your benefit and to increase your knowledge about vitamin D!
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/3/362.full
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/
http://www.dietitians.ca/Nutrition-Resources-A-Z/Factsheets/Vitamins/Food-Sources-of-Vitamin-D.aspx
http://www.mushrooms.ca/nutrition/vitamins.aspx
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