Good morning.
I thought I would briefly mention vitamin D!
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that most people are deficient in. It is called the sunshine vitamin because the best place to get it from is the sun. Our body creates vitamin D when the sun's rays hit our skin. But this can be really tricky if you live anywhere north of the equator, especially in cold climates. And even if you live in Sunny California, it still might be difficult to get sufficient sunlight at just the right time of day. And it does not penetrate through clothing, sunscreen or windows.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and is actually more like a hormone. Unlike a lot of other vitamins and minerals, its not really found in common foods like green leafy vegetables. Rather, it is found in fatty foods like fish, fish oils (cod liver oil,) and egg yolks.
The reason vitamin D is so important:
1. We need it so calcium can be absorbed in our bodies. Without vitamin D, calcium is useless
2. It prevents diabetes, depression, certain hormonal cancers and osteoporosis, among many other illnesses
3. Many people who are sick have vitamin D deficiencies
In short, most of us need supplementation. The best way supplement is by taking vitamin D3, not D2. It's best to speak to your Dr. for daily amounts. Most will say 200 IU is enough, while some Dr.'s will say that 2,000 IU is appropriate. Find out what works for you. Just make sure you get those supplements in.
If you have any more specific questions on vitamin D, feel free to email me at mishiharari@gmail.com!
Shaffier just got diagnosed with a vitamin d deficiency! The doc said that 80 percent of adults in Beitar (a very covered up non-outdoorsy-culture community) are deficient in vitamin d. What a surprise that people aren't more aware considering the day to day maleffects! I also heard that some dr.s on the board of the FDA resigned recently bc the board wasn't serious enough about recommending a daily intake of up to 5,000IU. Apparently the board was discussing raising the recommended intake to something like 500IU. ALSO, in Israel ALL mothers (regardless of their choice to breastfeed or formula feed) are strongly recommended (and reminded and nudged) at every appt. to give their babies daily supplements of vitamin d and iron.
ReplyDeleteSo true Miiko! Most Dr.'s don't think you need that much D. I think that's why its such a controversial vitamin these days!
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