Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Last Updated on April 10, 2013 by Jimson Lee

I was reading an article on how Alaska’s Dawn to Dusk race was only 3 hours and 40 minutes!

In Rome, Sunrise to Sunset is exactly 9 hours long from 7am to 4pm (as of today)

If that is the case, how are you getting enough Vitamin D through sunshine?  Especially in rainy Vancouver?

I was in Florida last April without sunscreen (I know, I know, shame on me) and was still severely deficient in Vitamin D with my InsideTracker test.  That’s because my skin is fairly dark, which protects me from UV light, but it also stops my Vitamin D production.

When I grew up, cod liver oil was the norm in Canada to prevent rickets.  We all loved the taste of it, right?

You NEED vitamin D for healthy bones, teeth and immune functions, and the best ways to get it is:

• sunshine
• real food
• oils
• pills and capsules

Sunshine may not be enough, which I have proven.

Since I love food (after all, I live in Italy), let’s eat more Vitamin D rich foods!

The RDA is 200 IU for adults under 50 years old and 400 IU for those over 50.

It doesn’t take much of good healthy food to match those numbers without pills and oils.

As expected, fish and fortified milk top the list.

SOURCE: https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR24/nutrlist/sr24w328.pdf

There are some things to consider with respect to Vitamin D when it comes to reducing the common colds, increasing natural testosterone, and maintaining healthy teeth and bones:

1. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported in their Dec 2009 issue of "The Johns Hopkins Newsletter" that a deficiency of vitamin D can be linked to low testosterone and estrogen levels in some men.
2. Some people claim it’s the lack of Vitamin D in the winter months that causes sickness and colds.  Sunshine stimulates natural Vitamin D production.  There is less sun in winter months in northern countries like Canada and Scandinavia.  If you can, sunshine in small doses is the best medicine without sunscreen.  In rainy Vancouver, “sunny” winter vacation destinations are a must!
3. All Vitamin D pills not the same!  The synthetic version of Vitamin D is Ergocalciferol or Vitamin D2, and the natural form is Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3.   The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Vitamin D isabout 600 IU per day.
4. Watch out for Vitamin D in “fortified foods”, like milk or cereal.  In Canada, “fortified milk” adds D2, not D3.  In the USA, milk is voluntarily fortified with 100 IU/cup (8 oz or 250mL) whereas in Canada, milk is fortified by law with 35–40 IU/100 mL. 
5. The flesh of fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are among the best sources of Vitamin D3.  Even canned sardines!  Small amounts of vitamin D are also found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.
6. You can supplement your diet with cod liver oil, which is high in Vitamin D (1,360 IU/tablespoon or about 10mL) but also high in Vitamin A as well.  So don’t over do it.  More is not better. 
7. Some high-end fish liver oils contain a natural source of Vitamin D without the extra Vitamin A.  Just make sure it’s Cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3.

So there you have it.  Go out and do something about it.  Sunshine, good food and/or supplements!