The Importance of Vitamin D: Avoiding Vitamin D Deficiency with a Proper Diet and Supplements

Get Vitamin D from the Sun BY Chantrybee

Vitamins. We need them, our bodies crave them, and they are a vital part of life. They allow us to grow, maintain our health and function the way we were meant to. Yet even still many vitamins receive an ever growing lack of attention and can prove to be quite difficult to instill in our daily diet.

One such vitamin in particular is vitamin D. It is just as essential to your health as any other vitamin yet it seems many of us seem to forget about it. With all our attention on the importance to protecting ourselves from the sun and lathering up on sunscreen, too many of us have forgotten that 20 minutes of sunlight on our bodies a day can provide us with up to 90% of the vitamin D we need. While there are a number of foods that contain it, it usually comes in doses that are far too small to reap the real benefits.

Which Foods Contain Vitamin D?

The good news is that there are a few foods that you can incorporate into your diet that will help you consume a good dose of vitamin D. Sockeye salmon is in fact one of the best options, but not quite succulent enough that you would want to eat it every day. Other options include cod liver oil, herring, shrimp, butter, fortified milk and eggs. One of the added bonuses is that cooking and storage of these foods has no effect on the vitamin D levels.

Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency

A deficiency in terms of vitamin D for adults can lead to weakness of bones and muscles throughout the body. This is better known in medical terms as osteomalacia and can become quite serious over time. A deficiency of vitamin D can also lead to a weakened immune system and gum disease, which can lead to loss of teeth. Chronic gum disease affects a number of people over the age of 50, and that is why many doctors suggest that people up their vitamin D intake constantly as they age.

The reason that vitamin D deficiency affects so many people is in large part due to the lack of information and general knowledge there is about it. It is a very difficult vitamin to control the intake of, seeing as the sun shines brighter on different days and even when it is out we are all warned to hide out in the shade. So what can you do if the sun refuses to shine or if you are more comfortable indoors?

Control your Intake of Vitamin D

Your best bet is to alter your diet so that you ingest more foods that contain vitamin D. On top of this, especially if you are over the age of 50, you should probably look into supplements. Calcium supplements are an excellent example as they contain a large dose of vitamin D in order to allow your body to absorb more of the calcium itself.

More than a Well Balanced Diet

While we are always told that a well balanced diet will ensure our body stays healthy and that we get all the nutrition we need, this isn’t always the case with vitamin D. It is a much harder nutritional source to obtain through food and diet alone.

Have a good look at your current diet and think about how long you spend out on the sun on a regular basis, and you will get a good idea of how much vitamin D you are getting. Even though this vitamin doesn’t get its fair share of the spotlight, it is an essential part of life and your health. If you fear that you are not getting enough, then consider altering your diet and looking into vitamin D supplements, or calcium supplements that contain a healthy dose of vitamin D.

One last note. It is incredibly important to protect yourself from the sun and stock up on sunscreen when heading outside. However, we need to all do our best to remember that the sun is beneficial to our health and isn’t always the evil enemy that we make it out to be.