If you live in NYC, then you know we haven’t seen the sun in a while – It’s dark at 5pm. I’ve been so crabby and no doubt slightly depressed that I’ve been having thoughts of, well, I can’t believe that I AM GOING TO SAY IT, I’ve been thinking about kicking my cats. Please don’t call the ASPCA, I didn’t do it, I just thought about it. My island blood craves warmth, blue skies and sunshine. I guess who wouldn’t love that? For a second I thought I was so special that I needed it more than other people. So, I am going to St. Lucia for one WHOLE week.
My worrisome brain will not care about a thing — I will bake in the sun and absorb so much vitamin-D that I will be as black as charcoal! I won’t care about wrinkles, sunburn or dying of cancer. I will eat, drink and be damn merry.
So, what is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is carried through the body by fat and stored in fat tissue. Getting too much can be harmful. This is a vitamin can be produced in the body, as well as, obtained from the diet.
What food source is the nutrient found in?
The most reliable source of vitamin D, in the U.S. diet, is fortified milk. All milk sold in the United States is fortified with vitamin D. Wondering what other foods contain this vitamin?
- Try cheese, butter, margarine, cream, some soy milks, eggs, liver, fish such as sardines and salmon, cod liver oil and fortified cereals
The body can make vitamin D after sunlight or ultraviolet light hits the skin, thus the reason you commonly hear this vitamin referred to as sunshine vitamin. Ten to 15 minutes of sun exposure 3 times a week is all the body needs. Older people are less efficient with this conversion.
How does the nutrient affect the body?
Vitamin D helps build strong and healthy bones and teeth. It does this by helping the body to absorb the minerals calcium and phosphorous and to deposit them in bones and teeth.
Other Useful Information
- If the body does not get enough vitamin D and calcium, a person is at higher risk for bone mass loss, which is known as osteoporosis. Low levels of vitamin D also increases the risk of bone softening, known as osteomalacia, in older adults. Children who do not get enough vitamin D over a long period may develop rickets, which is defective bone growth. Fortifying milk with vitamin D has made rickets extremely rare in the US.
- Vitamin D is measured as micrograms (mcg) and because it can be toxic, there is a Recommended Dietary Allowance–for men and women, 25 to 50 years old, is 5 mcg per day. Children need twice as much daily vitamin D as adults, because their bones are still growing. Pregnant and lactating women also need 10 mcg per day.
- Another common measurement for vitamin D is International Units, known as IU. The RDA, in IUs, for vitamin D for adults is 200 IU per day; for children, it is 400 IU per day; and for pregnant and lactating women, it is 400 IU.