Vitamin D

So today we’re moving on to Vitamin D which is another fat-soluble vitamin like Vitamin A. This means they dissolve in fat. If your body has a problem absorbing fat-soluble vitamins there are forms that have been turned into water-soluble forms for easier assimilation in your body.

We all know that we get Vitamin D from the sun, and if you follow the latest health news you are also aware that more and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of Vitamin D. The precursor to vitamin D comes from the cholesterol in our skin. Sunlight converts it to Vitamin D, and then for our bodies to be able to fully use it  it has to be activated first by our liver then by our kidneys. Wow! Who knew? It’s amazing how our bodies have to work together like an orchestra so that we can be healthy.

So you know Vitamin D comes from the sun, but do you know why our bodies need it? Our bones need if for growth and renewal because Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium. It also helps in the absorption of Vitamin C and is required for our nervous system and for our blood to clot. Without enough Vitamin D we run the risk of rickets. Rickets cause the bones to weaken and in children to not form properly. Since adults have fully formed bones, rickets causes pain in the bones.

Other than getting enough sun there are foods we can eat that will increase our Vitamin D. Here are the top ten according to www.healthaliciousness.com. First up – cod liver oil. Thankfully, this comes in capsule form and we don’t have to plug our noses and take a gulp every morning. There there is fish, fortified cereal, oysters, caviar, fortified soy products (not sure if I recommend this one – we try to avoid soy as much as possible), salami/ham/sausages, fortified dairy products, eggs and finally mushrooms.

There is much fear today about getting too much sun. The problem is that with all the sunscreen we slather on our bodies we are cutting down the amount of Vitamin D we can get. I’ve noticed that my children who love to be outside all summer naturally protect themselves. They do the most of their playing in the early morning and late afternoon to early evening. If they are outside doing the height of the heat they tend to quietly sit in a shady spot reading or doing some other quiet activity. They have never had a sun burn, and we don’t use sunscreen. This is what works for us, and how we handle the sun after much research. Do the same. Study it out for yourself and decide what works for you. Sunscreens made with natural products are becoming more readily available which may be a good fit for you.

Whatever you do work this important vitamin into your life either through more sun exposure or food.

The information about Vitamin D comes from the Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, Alive Publishing Group, 1997.