Stay blessed with vitamin D

Are you depressed, overweight, have aching bones or are lactose intolerant? Then check your Vitamin D levels. Our skin reacts, draws or makes its own vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, certain foods and supplements. It guards our body against bouts of depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart ailments and even helps lose weight.

Certain drugs – laxatives, steroids, anti-seizure etc, stop your body from absorbing vitamin D. Often the deficiency goes unnoticed till there occurs bone pain and muscle weakness.

WTN gets you the best ways of boosting your vitamin D level.

How much is good enough?

Though the optimum levels of vitamin D are much debated, the Institute of Medicine has indicated that 4,000 IU of vitamin D as the upper tolerable daily dose for a normal adult.

What happens if there is an overdose?

Too much of vitamin D could raise your blood calcium level, causing damage to blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. High quantity of vitamin D in blood harms the vessels and the heart by increasing the calcium in the bloodstream.

Vitamin D helps

· Skeletal & dental health: Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium from food – thus strengthening our bones and teeth and lubricates teeth and hair too. Children with low vitamin D generally suffer from rickets or bow-like legs and fractured bones. It also helps several biochemical processes in our bodies.

· Shed weight: Obese or overweight people are often found to be suffering from this deficiency. The body fat traps the vitamin and does not make it available to the body.

· Manage diabetes: Boosting levels of the vitamin helps manage the disease.

· Combat depression & multiple sclerosis (MS): The vitamin plays a vital role in the development and functioning of brain. People with low vitamin D often slip into depression. Also, it has been often seen that elderly persons or those with the deficiency had poor memory, attention span, and reasoning. The autoimmune disorder, MS, is often found among those living in off-Sun limits.

Here are some sources from where you can get your daily dose of vitamin D.

· Catch some sunrays: Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun is a very natural source of vitamin D. But while exposing your skin to the Sun it is equally essential to protect yourself with hats, shades and similar stuff. Those living in areas where the Sun barely ever shines, people must try to spend some time outdoors to ensure their daily dose.

· Get calcium: Vitamin D and calcium together are essential for strong bones. Calcium is available in abundance in leafy vegetables, fish, Brazil nuts, almonds and dairy products.

· Check your diet: Your daily diet must essentially include food which provides vitamin D. Eggs, liver and fatty fish like salmon, are a good source of the vitamin.

Foods that help you get the required dose

· Cod Liver Oil: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, cod liver oil fights osteoporosis in adults, improve brain function, and optimises nervous system function.

· Eggs: Vitamin D in an egg comes from its yolk. Having one everyday fulfils approximately 10 per cent of your daily requirement.

· Beef liver: Rich in protein and iron, a portion of liver has about 1.2mcg of vitamin D, several other nutrients, vitamin A, iron, and lots of protein. However, it is also high in cholesterol.

· Oily fish: Fatty fishes like salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna and eel are an excellent source of vitamin D. Oily fish lubricates the body with “good fats” and boosts brain function.

· Mushrooms: Most mushrooms are grown in the dark and lack the vitamin. But certain mushrooms are exposed to sunrays and have the vitamin in huge quantity. These are a good option for the vegetarians.

Tips:

· Sunblocks, sunscreens, etc, interfere with the natural process of making vitamin D when exposed to Sun.

· Those with dark tones and the elderly people draw more vitamin D from food and supplements than from the Sun.

· Exposure without sunscreen can raise your risk of skin cancer.

–windowtonews