How to Get Enough Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is unique and getting enough of it is challenging, thus the widespread deficiency.
Blind supplementation with “vitamin” D is not recommended. Vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone, and that is why it is not plentiful in the food we eat because – we shouldn’t be eating it in high doses!
We supposed to get vitamin D from the sun, and the rest of it from food.
I know that a lot of people benefit from supplementing vitamin D the beginning. Supplementing helps correct deficiencies, but it can also create imbalances. Supplementing with synthetic vitamin D is hard on the kidneys and liver, it can destroy vitamin A, magnesium and potassium stores as well as make the body absorb calcium in wrong places. This can lead to adrenal fatigue, kidney stones, insomnia, thyroid disorders and even hospitalization! If you are pregnant too much, supplemental vitamin D can cause calcification of the placenta.
Using synthetic, isolated nutrients when you don’t know how all the pathways in the body works, should be looked at like drugs. We are supposed to get nutrients from food, first and foremost.
So, let’s dive into how much of this critical fat-soluble vitamin we need, and how you can get enough.
The two ways to vitamin D are exposure to the sun and consuming vitamin D containing food.
Why do we need vitamin D, and how much do we need?
Vitamin D is a crucial hormone, which helps us absorb calcium from our food and helps us build healthy bones. Vitamin D supports immune function, cellular growth, and helps with prevention of mood imbalances such as depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Deficiencies in vitamin D may lead to bone diseases like osteomalacia, increased risk of heart disease, certain cancers autoimmune diseases, and even death. The minimum amount of vitamin D to strive for each day is merely 400-600 IU, but many experts think that this is not enough for optimal health.
To make sure that you get adequate amounts of vitamin D, you need to get enough sun and eat enough food rich in vitamin D on a weekly basis.
To properly utilize vitamin D we need to have sufficient stores of boron, magnesium, vitamin K2 and cholesterol (which most of it is made in the body).
You can find vitamin K2 in the liver, eggs, grass-fed beef and chicken. Vitamin K2 helps the body properly utilize Vitamin D and prevents form vitamin D toxicity by overuse of supplementation. Magnesium is a necessary co-factor that is needed for the binding of vitamin-D to its transport protein. Boron is essential for calcium regulation, and it is critical co-factor of magnesium utilization.
How can I get enough vitamin D from food?
Vitamin D can be found in fatty fish (sockeye salmon herring, mackerel tuna), egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin D is fat-soluble that’s why eating it with some healthy fat will increase absorption. Some mushrooms make vitamin D when they’re exposed to the sun (not dried by artificial light).
Cod liver oil is one of the best and oldest food supplements you can get. Cod liver oil also contains vitamin A, which helps with absorption of Vitamin D. It does taste much better now, and you can get it in the capsule too. My favorite brand is Rosita’s, NutraPro, and Nordic Naturals (without the added D!).
“Vitamin D raises the requirement for vitamins A, and K. Vitamin D should be taken by mothers or given to infants in the form of cod liver oil, and mothers should consume a diet rich in grass-fed butterfat, cheese, fermented foods, bone broths and grass-fed organ meats to supply vitamin D in a way that is safest and most effective.”
How can I get enough vitamin D from the sun?
Your skin makes vitamin D when it’s exposed to the sun; that’s why it’s referred to as the “sunshine vitamin.” Vitamin D become a vitamin D in body with help form rays from the sun, which converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, and then it becomes vitamin D3. Production of vitamin D in your body depends on many things: seasons, location, clouds, smog, skin color, and clothing. One standard recommendation is to get about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure between 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. to the arms, face, legs, or back. The UVB rays are more powerful at that time, so you don’t need to be outside for an extended period, as long to get your appropriate shade of pink. This needs to be done without using sunscreen, at least twice a week. We should be careful and always avoid sunburns -smart sun exposure is essential! In some locations (and seasons of the year) it’s not easy to get sun exposure, so we need to make sure to supplement with food.
If you decide to take vitamin D supplements, make sure you check that the supplement is not going to interact with other supplements or medications you may be taking. Make sure that your labels, and ask a healthcare professional for advice.
Only take the suggested dosage on the label of any vitamin D supplement, except under medical care.
Too much vitamin D can raise your blood levels of calcium (to an unsafe level), and this can affect your heart and kidneys. The maximum amount recommended (for the general population) is 4,000 IU/day.
The best thing, if you’re concerned, is to ask your healthcare professional to do a blood test. The test will reveal if you are deficient in and you need to take the supplement or not.
Blood tests for vitamin D need to include the active and storage forms. You want both the Vitamin D 1,25 Dihydroxy (Calcitrol) (Active) and Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy (Storage). Another helpful test is Magnesium RBC blood test since the magnesium is so critical for making D active. Calcitriol should be no more than 45; storage D should be no more than 30, and magnesium RBC should be between 6 and 7.
Recipe: Simple Grilled Salmon
Serves 2
- 2 wild salmon fillets
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp. fresh basil
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Preheat to 350 F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place fish on top, skin-side down. Surround with a single layer of asparagus.
Sprinkle the fish with garlic and herbs, sea salt, and pepper. Drizzle the fish and asparagus with olive oil.
Bake for 15 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. Drizzle everything with lemon juice.
Serve & enjoy!
Tip: Serve with a side of rice or quinoa.
In Health
Angie
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/21/how-to-get-your-vitamin-d-to-healthy-ranges.aspx
