Have You Started to Supplement Vitamin D?

Winter means a lot less sunshine especially if you live north of the 49th parallel, and especially if you live on the West coast (like I do), where we can go for several days even weeks without seeing the sun! UGH!

Yep, poor Vitamin D is having a hard time being produced by our bodies during the winter because of the lack of sunshine. So, it is important to supplement Vitamin D at this time of the year.

Supplementing vitamin D is essential for our bone health, teeth, nervous system, heart function and normal blood clotting.

I know there are some people who believe that we shouldn’t have to supplement any nutrients as long as you eat a healthy and balanced diet. I understand that however, you are not what you eat but what you digest. What you eat healthy or not including, supplements, is at the mercy of your digestion.

It is estimated that over 60 - 70 million people have digestive issues in the USA and 20 million Canadians suffer every year with digestive upset.

Factors that can impair your ability to absorb and utilize vitamin D can include an under active stomach (which most of us have) with low levels of HCL, poor liver function, obesity, aging and other digestive disorders such as Crohn’s or celiac.

Signs of mild Vitamin D deficiency can include bone pain, muscle weakness, and slow wound healing.

There are new studies that vitamin D is not only important for our bone health but also our brain function. A vitamin D deficiency is linked with depression, seasonal affective disorder and schizophrenia in adults.

A deficiency in this vitamin can put you at greater risk for cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment in older adults, asthma in children and cancer.

You can get dietary Vitamin D from your diet through oily fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks and butter as well as fortified foods. For vegetarians leafy greens and mushrooms have some vitamin D.

But, supplementation during the winter months will prevent any Vitamin D deficiencies.

However, be careful to follow the recommended amounts, as Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is stored in our bodies. Too much Vitamin D can cause toxicity.

For best absorption and good bone health it is important that you supplement with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D together.

Feel free to reach out to me for more information on how to best supplement vitamin or any other health concerns you may have, I am happy to help.

Take care,

Sarah

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