Vitamin D is essential to make phosphates and calcium in your food bioavailable. Without enough Vitamin D, mineral absorption is compromised, leading to weaker bones, muscles and teeth. Vitamin D is also associated with a strong, healthy immune system.
Our bodies create vitamin D when the sun hits our skin, but can you really get enough Vitamin D by sitting out in the garden or hitting the beach? Let’s find out!
In many parts of the country, you can get enough Vitamin D to support good health during March – September.
However, during the autumn and winter months, depending on where you live, there is less UVB radiation in the sunlight and generally too little for our skin to make vitamin D.
Skin color is provided by melanin. Darker skin has more melanin than other skin color types and cannot synthesize vitamin D from sunlight as efficiently as lighter skin.
If you have darker skin, you need to spend more time safely in the sunlight in order to generate the same levels of vitamin D as someone with lighter skin.
Can I get Vitamin D from food?
Vitamin D isn’t abundant in food, but you can get it from:
Salmon
Mackerel
Herring
Sardines
Red meat
Fortified milk
Mushrooms
Eggs
Vitamin D is sometimes added to breakfast cereals and non-dairy milk products and spreads.
What about Vitamin D Supplements?
While supplements can help very young children and people who must – or who choose to – go outside with their skin almost completely covered, too much Vitamin D delivered by supplement can be harmful over a long period of time.
Symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity can include:
Elevated blood pressure
Vomiting
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
Kidney failure
Does Ionized Alkaline Water Help with Vitamin D?
Alkaline water contains a slew of precious, vital minerals. The ionization process amplifies the bioavailability of the minerals, helping with the absorption of essential vitamins – including Vitamin D – in food and supplements, to maximize their potency. For example, magnesium and zinc are Vitamin D-friendly minerals!