By Erin McKenna, RD
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a very important role in our body. It is different from other vitamins because your body can make its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to the sunlight.
Vitamin D is known for being good for our bones because it helps regulate calcium and phosphorus for the maintenance of bone density. Even if you eat enough calcium and phosphorus, you won’t adequately absorb them without vitamin D.
Vitamin D:
- Aides in maintenance of healthy nervous and muscular systems by regulating blood calcium levels
- Aides in calcium absorption from intestines
- Helps with the formation of the skeleton, and the bones in ears for hearing
Research is now showing that vitamin D has benefits that exceed just being good for our bones. Some functions that vitamin D helps with include, the immune system, brain development, cardiovascular function, muscle function, respiratory system, and may have anti-cancer effects.
The best food sources of vitamin D are cod liver oil, swordfish, salmon, milk (fortified with vitamin D), yogurt (fortified with vitamin D), sardines, eggs, cheese, and fortified cereal.
It has been suggested by researchers that approximately 5-30 minutes of exposure to the sun between 10 am-3 pm at least twice a week usually lead to sufficient vitamin D. People with limited sun exposure should include good sources of vitamin D to their diet to achieve the recommended levels of intake.
For more information on vitamin D, go to:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
http://www.nutrition411.com/content/vitamin-d
Erin is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for health and wellness. She is very enthusiastic about teaching others how to live a healthier life before and after bariatric surgery.