How to Get Enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D is actually a hormone. It is produced when the cholesterol in your skin is exposed to sunlight, which converts to Vitamin D. However, we have been taught that cholesterol and sunlight are both bad for our health. No wonder so many of use have Vitamin D deficiency! Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause several bone softening diseases like rickets, osteoporosis, and osteomalacia. It may also be linked to many forms of cancer, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, hypothyroidism, autism, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder and several autoimmune diseases. Current recommendations for the US are 200 IU (International Units ) a day for children and 400 IU for adults, but a review by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes the amount should be more like 10,000 IU. We could expect the recommendations to change in the near future. Here is the "low down" on getting adequate levels of Vitamin D.

Instructions

• 1

  Drink Vitamin D fortified Orange Juice, Milk and other low-fat dairy products. Fortified milk contains approximately 100 IU per 8 ounce serving.

• 2

  Consume foods high in vitamin D including cheese, butter, egg yolk, margarine, canned mushrooms, and fortified cereals. See image for a table of selected food sources and their amount of Vitamin D.

• 3

  Eat salmon or other fatty fish as a good vitamin d source. If you don't like to eat fish, a fish oil supplement can help increase your vitamin d intake.

• 4

  Take a daily multi vitamin with at least 600 units of Vitamin D or buy a vitamin D tablet.

• 5

  One of the best ways to get Vitamin D is sunshine. A safe amount is 10-15 minutes which will get your body to produce Vitamin D without being a hazard to your skin health. Dr. Holick from Boston University describes sensible sun exposure as the exposure of arms and legs for 5-30 minutes (depending on time of day, season, latitude, and skin pigmentation) between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm twice a week. Check out his review on Vitamin D Deficiency, it is the first resource in the resource list at the end of this article.

• 6

  Tanning beds are also a good vitamin D source, but when used in moderation. You have to keep in mind the dangers of skin cancer when there is over-exposure. Ultraviolet B radiation is specifically important in getting and maintaining good levels of Vitamin D. Which is what the sun and tanning beds provide.

• 7

  Vitamin D is essential to quality long term health and the prevention of many diseases and chronic illnesses. The best plan of action is to get your Vitamin D from a combination of sources, including diet and sun exposure. Follow the recommendations of the food pyramid for a healthful diet; make sure you get the vitamins and nutrients you need from a variety of sources.