Vitamin D - where to access and why we need it

As I was outside having a cup of tea, enjoying the suns rays I got to thinking about Vitamin D, as you do......

So I found a bit of writing that I had done a while ago and forgot to post, so here it is - hopefully good timing for someone!!!

For many, winter can be cold with short, dark days. This is the season that often raises concerns about vitamin D, sometimes called the sunshine vitamin.

Interest in vitamin D has exploded in recent years and for very good reason. What is Vitamin D? Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin.

The reason it isn’t is that we as humans can make this ourselves. When we expose our skin to sunlight the vitamin D we absorb is inert. In other words, it needs to be converted.

Going through some chemical processes to activate it. The first occurs in our liver this converts the Vitamin D to a pre hormone called Calcidol.

The second occurs primarily in our kidneys, this forms the physically active hormone called Calcitriol. So, when we don’t get enough sunlight and therefore Vitamin D we will not have enough of the active hormone (Calcitriol) inside our tissues and this can be very bad news.

(As we are talking about absorbing - what I have learnt is that when your skin is exposed to the sun, it is important that you don’t wash that area with soap as it interferes with the absorption - so have a shower or bath but don’t use products on these areas!!)

What a lack of this hormone can cause is a range of symptoms that can be the root of many dis-ease processes. Such as Asthma, Heart failure, and Autoimmune diseases—such as multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

This starts to make sense when you think about the action of this hormone. Human DNA contains more than 2,700 binding sites for Calcitriol. Including sites that are involved in every major Dis-ease.

The mere presence of these sites suggests that this hormone, and therefore vitamin D is important for every aspect of our health. As an example Vitamin D is well known for it’s importance in bone health, deficiency is known to be the root cause of rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

And as I pointed out that Vitmain D has so much more to do than deal with bone health.

So, In winter how do we manage to get vitamin D and therefore Calcitriol in our system. Many people take vitamin D supplements, however very few are absorbed and converted into this wonderful hormone.

Of course, as nature provides us with everything we need there are some wonderful foods that contain Vitamin D and are known to be easily converted within our bodies, after all we have evolved with them!!

Top foods containing Vitamin D

Surprisingly, the dried versions of shiitake mushrooms are Very high in Vitamin D. This may be due to the fact that these mushrooms are adept at sucking up sunlight. Shiitake is also rich in B Vitamins like B1 & B2. Make sure that you find mushrooms that have been dried in the sun, not by some artificial means, in order to

extract the benefits of high Vitamin D content.

Mackerel A small, 3½ ounce portion of this Omega-3 rich fish will give you 90% of the recommended daily amount. Currently, the FDA recommends that we eat more of these oily fishes to infuse our bodies with the vitamins and omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA’s) that our body cannot produce on its own.

Sockeye Salmon: A small 3½ ounces portion of cooked salmon will give you 90% of the recommended levels of vitamin D (might not be therapeutic levels though) Make sure to purchase salmon that has been caught from the wild, if not, then sustainably farmed.

Salmon eat zooplankton, an excellent source of the important vitamin.

Herring: Fish like herring are so high in vitamin D because they are the part of our food chain that thrive on plankton, which is extremely high in vitamin D.

Sardines: Sardines are one of the best foods containing Vitamin D. One small tin can of sardines will provide you with approximately 70% of your daily needs. These tiny canned fish are also a great source of Vitamin B12, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, protein and selenium.

Tuna fish: Eat 3 ounces of tuna daily for 50% of your Vitamin D needs. Fresh, wild-caught tuna is the most nutritious. Remember, eating oily fish can also lubricate the body with “good fats,” providing a host of health benefits to your body, like better memory and brain function.

Cod Liver Oil: If you can stomach the strong aroma, this oil is super-rich in sunlight Vitamin D. This marvellously golden, yet terrible-tasting oil, is also rich in omega 3. Incorporating this oil into your diet will help you increase your bone's ability to stay strong and healthy. Because of its high Vitamin D content, cod liver oil has also been shown to prevent osteoporosis in adult, it improves brain function and optimize the functioning of the nervous system. What is more, the oil holds 10,000 IUs of vitamin D. One tablespoon of the oil provides more than enough Vitamin D for the day.

Eggs: Eggs are another food containing vitamin D in small amounts. Eating one egg will provide you with approximately 10% of your daily needs. I would personally recommend eating free-range eggs from a local farm, if possible.

Sunshine: Okay, - Just a reminder, if it does come out, treat yourself to having a sun bath.

If you look at the list of foods that are high in Vitamin D, isn't it interesting that they are mostly freely available to those of us in colder, cloudier climates, we can up our intake from the foods we eat. This really does explain why Native Inuit people in Alaska ate so much fish!

Health Benefits of Vitamin D, in brief, There are many reasons to stock up on foods containing vitamin D. Health benefits of the vitamin include:

The prevention of chronic diseases such as many forms of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. The protection and lubrication of your bones, teeth and hair. The regulation of cellular growth and healthy cell activity Overall reduction of the inflammatory response, a condition known to cause many chronic diseases, from cancer to diabetes to obesity. Protection against adult osteoporosis

Reduction in the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women Plus a significant reduction in the occurrence of prostate cancer in African-American men