Vitamin D

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...”

I think the missing lyric after that was, “and healthy.” I don’t know about you but if the sun is shining I’m in a 99% better mood than when it’s not. Well not only does it help lift your mood but the Vitamin D that we get from the sun is so powerful and essential for our wellbeing.

I know most of us have been worried about the threat of skin cancer which don’t get me wrong, is very serious. However we don’t want to avoid the sun all together. Getting Vitamin D from the sun helps play a major role in our immune system. It boosts our immune system efficiency, strengthens our respiratory system and balances our autoimmunity and wards off cancer cell growth just to name a few.

Living in Chicagoland I know that getting enough sun to be above the suggested 20-30ng/mL level can be quite hard so I’m a big fan of supplementing this vitamin. Of course nature is our best source so if you can strive for at least 10-15mins of sun at it’s strongest point in the day (10am-3pm) with your skin exposed (face, arms, abdomen if you can is best). Some studies show that even doing this often doesn’t allow people to reach the suggested vitamin D levels. So if you’re going to supplement try getting a “clean” brand that includes Vitamin K2 to help increase the absorption. The exact dosage is debatable but I’ve learned that 2,000-5,000 IU per day maybe more beneficial than the much lower dose of 600 IU. Of course as always check with your doctor for their opinion and test your levels to see where you are at. If you do have a current deficiency you may be recommended to take up to 10,000 IU.

Note to Self: Get about 10-15mins of sun exposure to your skin when you can and supplement with a good Vitamin D that includes Vitamin K aiming for 2,000-5,000 IU/per day. Don’t however go fry yourself in the sun and get burned;)