September 2022

HUNGRY FOR SUNSHINE

Too much time indoors has left us more than cranky.  Worldwide, doctors are diagnosing vitamin D deficiency and the health issues that come with it.  Here’s how to get your daily dose, deliciously.

Summer aside, fear of viruses and winters have had us spending an inordinate amount of time indoors.  And when we’re out, we wear sunscreen.   Doctors are now stressing the importance of the “sunshine vitamin”.  According to NHANES, D levels have been in decline since well before covid.  Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency (VDD) are increasing at a global level and are associated with increased risk for various disease states.  Vitamin D is naturally produced in the body via absorption of sunlight’s ultraviolet rays into the skin, and definitive research identifies vitamin D as essential to absorption of calcium in the bones.  As we get older, vitamin D levels decline.  And that significantly contributes to osteoporosis, poor bone strength and increased risk of fracture, which for an older person can be devastating.  Geography is a factor too.  Simply put: Populations that have more sun exposure year-round more easily produce vitamin D.  In Iceland, where sun exposure is limited, cod liver oil not as much a supplement as it is a food.  While cod liver is an acquired taste, a fish-rich diet in general can provide what you need.  Indeed, the best sources of vitamin D align with the Nordic diet.  The menu would include a lot of oily fish (salmon, tuna, trout, char, herring, sardines/tinned fish, mackerel, swordfish) beef liver and egg yolks.  Mushrooms are the only plant source of vitamin D, especially if they are grown in sunlight or with UV light exposure.   Vitamin D content in fresh mushrooms does decline in storage, so try to buy them direct from farmers or farmers markets if possible.  On the upside, mushrooms retain the vitamin when they’re sun-dried or dried under UV exposure, making for a pantry-friendly storage solution. 

Most vitamin D works its way into the American diet via fortified foods such as milk, orange juice and cereal.  Careful though: the type of vitamin D that is added to foods is D2 (ergocalciferol), a much less absorbable type than D3 (cholecalciferol) which is what we get from sunshine.  As a fat-soluble vitamin, D is easily digested and well-absorbed when consumed with a food that contains fat.  The trick is getting enough, and that amount varies from person to person.   The recommend intake for most people from supplements is 2000 IUs in the summer (spring forward) and 4000 IUs in the winter (fall back).  A balance between foods high in vitamin D, supplements, and a dose of sunshine when possible is recommended. 

Kathleen Squires