Why Is Vitamin D Important for Your Wellbeing
An often forgotten but essential component of a healthy body and feeling well is sunlight and the vitamin D that your body produces naturally when directly exposed to the sun. But why is Vitamin D important for your wellness?
What does vitamin D do?
Regular, sensible amounts are important to prevent various health issues and help you lift your mood. Vitamin D is necessary for the normal growth and development of bones in children and prevents osteoporosis in adults.
It contributes to the maintenance of teeth, muscle function, and immune system. It regulates blood and promotes calcium absorption in the gut.
Low levels of vitamin D can result in muscle pain, fatigue, and low mood.
Most of the vitamin D your body needs by far comes from the sun. Even the richest source of salmon mackerel tuna and sardines only provide 250 to 500IU vitamin D per 200g serving.
To put this into perspective, an adult would need to eat 4 to 10 servings of salmon every day, which is not recommended.
Sunlight and supplements are both good options to boost your Vitamin D intake. Ideally, though, you should get a regular, sensible sun exposure of arms, legs, back, and abdomen when the weather permits. Go outside as much as you can. Your body will thank you for it.
Which one: Vitamin D2 or D3?
Researchers found that Vitamin D2 is as effective as D3. The choice may depend on your food preferences as D3 is derived mainly from animal products such as beef liver, salmon, trout, fish oil or egg yolk.
It’s worth adding that your skin produces Vitamin D3 in response to sunlight or ultraviolet light. In contrast, vitamin D2 comes from plants, yeast and can also be found in mushrooms.
Essential Facts about the Vitamin D
As you age, your body becomes less efficient at producing Vitamin D, so it is important to maintain a healthy intake.
Vitamin D from food is absorbed in the small intestine, so conditions such as coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease can potentially reduce its absorption.
Having an inside desk job will reduce your vitamin D production compared to someone who spends time outdoors, so make sure you get some sun exposure during your lunch break.
Vitamin D plays an essential role in maintaining a strong immune system, bone health, and nervous system. Whenever you can, try to get vitamin D from sun exposure and food, or use supplements.
This refreshing smoothie recipe is a great way of getting your plant-based protein and vitamins in, and it tastes DELICIOUS. Try it!
If you enjoy reading my wellness blog and have any suggestions for future articles, please feel free to drop me a comment on Instagram. I’d love to hear your ideas, and I will be more than happy to answer your questions.
Lisa
x
