As of 2018 forty-two percent of Americans were Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is an interesting vitamin because we actually have the ability to synthesize it. The catalyst for this is sunshine directly on our skin. Other than sunshine most Americans get their vitamin D from fortified foods. There aren’t many naturally occurring foods that are high in vitamin D.
Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin so if you are supplementing or eating fortified foods, make sure you are including fat so that your body can absorb the vitamin D. There is also strong evidence that you should be taking vitamin K2 if supplementing vitamin D but that’s a whole other subject. Today I’m focused on sunshine vitamin D.
I cover everything in the video above, but in a nutshell here’s what you need to know. Get daily sun exposure, preferably during the most intense sun hours of 10-2. The darker your skin, the more time in the sun you need to get adequate vitamin D. Try to get sun on as much of your body as possible. Once your skin starts to turn pink you’re good.
Don’t wash all your vitamin D off by showering with soap. You can use soap in the hair, armpits, and groin areas but don’t use it on the rest of your body or you’ll send your vitamin D down the drain. It can take up to 48 hours to absorb completely. We can store about 6 months’ worth of vitamin D to get us through the winter because usually, the sun isn’t intense enough for much D production during those months.
Vitamin D is important for gene expression and calcium absorption. Because our modern lifestyle spends so much time indoors and covered up when outdoors, getting enough vitamin D isn’t the norm for most of us. These tips can help you keep your D levels topped up!
