As a nutritionist, herbalist and health coach with national clients, I can’t stress enough the importance of having ample natural vitamin D in your body. And what better way than through natural sunshine? There are 400 body functions that are tied to having enough vitamin D. So whatever is blighting your health, having ample vitamin D levels in your body may help. This article will talk about the best times to get your sunshine, how long, absorption problems among certain groups and earth latitudes, and more.
There was a crowd-funded vitamin D study recently that found that people closer to the equator were getting roughly 5000-8000 iu of vitamin D, but through natural sunshine that converts into the vitamin. This means that the paltry 400 iu recommended in the RDA is only enough to stop a person from getting Ricketts!
The Best Times for Natural Sunshine
The best times to get sunshine are avoiding 11am to 3pm with Daylight Savings Time. This simply means that a person is more likely to burn quickly during those hours. Now, if you are at higher latitudes (further North from the equator) please get your sunshine whenever you can.
How Long to Layout in the Sunshine
Dr. Weston Price, a dentist who studied teeth and health in a landmark worldwide study, had Swiss children run around in their bathing suits all day while they played. For myself, I can only layout from about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours before I start to burn. It’s not much longer with sunscreen on. That said, I am pretty pale. Other people would have more latitude from their genetic heritage, even from being from a warmer clime.
If you would like a custom health plan for your health issues, please contact me via this email or call me at (970) 988-5413. I have offices in northern Colorado, and can see clients in the United States nationwide via phone or video calls.
Sunshine and Vitamin D Conversion Problems Among Some Groups
Some people have problems converting sunshine into vitamin D in the body. This may be due to impaired health.
For other people, their genetic heritage may have darker skin that was a protection in times past from too much sunshine. People of African American descent have natural sun protection, but this can mean that it is harder to get enough sunshine to convert to vitamin D, when they are living in Chicago, Milwaukee, England – the northern latitudes. So supplementation is highly recommended for these groups. I’ll explain further down the best form, as well as what foods have it, and what supplements are best.
You Live Too Far North to Get Vitamin D!
People living further from the Equator will have a harder time getting enough sunshine to make Vitamin D. This is simply because half the year, people are dealing with Winter. They are inside and covered up, while at the Equator, people can absorb sunshine all year round. It is a fact that diseases that are Vitamin-D dependent, like Multiple Sclerosis, tend to increase the further North one gets in US latitude. (But knowing this, you can follow the Dr. Wahls advice, take supplements and food that have it, and combat this.)
What Forms of Vitamin D Are Best?
Many people are unsure about what form of vitamin D to take. The most absorbable form is D3. This is sometimes found it mean dairy products, but not always. Dairy products often has the supplement D2, which is less absorbable than the D3 version.
If you would like a custom health plan for your health issues, please contact me via this email or call me at (970) 988-5413. I have offices in northern Colorado, and can see clients in the United States nationwide via phone or video calls.
What Do You Need to Absorb Vitamin D?
There are other vitamins that help the vitamin D get absorbed and used. We need fat in our menu in order to an absorb calcium and vitamin D in yogurt and other dairy.
What High Vitamin D Foods Could I Include in My Menu?
Vitamin D is also found in grass fed (pastured) pork lard. This tastes fantastic in pies and cookies.
Cod liver oil is super high in vitamin D. One tablespoon has 1360 i.u’s per serving, and its higher than all the foods listed below. Vitamin D3 (again, most) may be available in dairy and cheeses, especially from animals raised in sunshine (called “pastured“ versions). (In fact, the vitamins and minerals in grass fed milk and dairy are higher than products from cows fed grains.)
If you would like a custom health plan for your health issues, please contact me via this email or call me at (970) 988-5413. I have offices in northern Colorado, and can see clients in the United States nationwide via phone or video calls.
One more high vitamin D food is very small shrimp (called “salad shrimp”). These are very easy to digest. I like to drop them thawed into soups, eggs, or make them into a salad: I flavor them with vinaigrette, red onions, things like raw cabbage, rice or pasta, spinach, yellow peppers, corn. You get the idea.
Other foods with vitamin D include mushrooms (low), beef liver, salmon, trout, eggs, and sardines, according to this FDA website.
Tanning Beds for Vitamin D?
I do not recommend tanning beds and I don’t think they provide vitamin D. If you use them, you might end up tanner, but ironically that might actually interfere with your ability to absorb from the sun. Your skin might be darker, which may impair absorption.
Well, there you have it. Now you know a lot about vitamin D.
How to Tell What Vitamin D Levels You Have?
Blood testing from a lab is the best way to see your vitamin D levels. You can ask for this test yourself from a local hospital or health clinic. Levels above 40 or 50 are supposed to be better. (Just know that as people show up with less vitamin levels, sometimes the labs rate the lower levels as “normal range.” This a crazy thing, in my opinion.)
