Vitamin D Sources

Sun Protection is a fact of life™

Of all the possible vitamin D sources available out there, the best one by far is sunlight. It is free, and easy to come by.

When our skin comes into contact with the UV radiation in sunlight, our bodies naturally produce vitamin D. It is impossible to make too much D through sunlight exposure as our bodies automatically stop making it when they get the amount that they need.

Of course, because of the risk of skin cancer we cannot spend all our time lying around sunbathing, so that option is less desirable than perhaps it once was when our bodies adapted to use that sunlight.

Now, when we go outside, which is much less frequently than did our ancestors, we wear sun block clothing, and other such protection from the sun, when we go outside at all.

All this means that we have to find other vitamin D sources to make sure that we get enough of this critically important nutrient.

Other than sunlight, there are many easy ways to get enough vitamin D. The most well known and convenient method is to take supplement pills. These pills are available in many concentrations of vitamin D, often small and easy to swallow.

Taking pill based supplements is easy and convenient, and a great way to keep track of how much vitamin D you are getting because it is clearly labeled right on the bottle.

You can also get your vitamin D through artificial sunlight, or tanning salons. This makes a great substitute for actual sunlight as it minimizes the risk of skin problems because much like supplement pills, you can control the dose of UV radiation you are getting each time.

Tanning salons will still allow your body to create its’ own vitamin D, which can be great for lifting your mood in winter as well.

Lack of vitamin D is being increasingly tied to depression, especially Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Getting enough vitamin D in winter when you are otherwise not getting enough sunlight to make your own can be crucial to avoiding depression, especially if you are prone to it during the darker months.

Other great vitamin D sources include all those foods in which vitamin D can be found naturally occurring. These foods include eggs, beef liver, and most kinds of fatty fish, especially salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and cod.

Cod liver oil or fish oil is also one of several great sources of vitamin D, but you have to be careful not to overdose on it as it also contains a lot of vitamin A.

Even though there are many convenient vitamin D sources available to anyone, many large food companies have been fortifying their products with vitamin D since the 1960s.

Nowadays you can go into almost any grocery store and get your milk, juice, bread and flour with the minimum daily requirement of vitamin D already in each serving.

This makes it convenient for even the busiest people who do not want to be troubled by taking pills or spending a certain amount of time in the sun every day.

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