A vitamin D deficiency is very common but most people do not know that they have it. Many people do not get enough vitamin D in their diet and they do not even realize it. For those that do realize it there is the chance to make up for the deficiency of this vitamin. The most effective way to do so would be to treat the deficiency with vitamin D supplements. This would be the simplest way to make sure that you have a sufficient amount of vitamin D each way. However, you may want to make minor changes to your diet to make sure that you get enough vitamin D just from what you eat and drink each day.
Natural Vitamin D Sources
The most natural vitamin D source is exposure to the sun. Believe it or not, vitamin D is naturally produced in the human body. The main issue though is that most humans do not get enough sun exposure to produce an adequate amount of vitamin D each day. Vitamin D is also available in foods and beverages but in much smaller amounts.
Sun Exposure as a Vitamin D Source
When sun light is absorbed by your skin the vitamin D will be produced in large quantities. Therefore, treating a vitamin D deficiency would be as simple as exposing yourself to the sun for a while each day. This may be simple for some people but a lot of individuals are rarely outside due to their lifestyle. For instance, most jobs are in offices and take place in indoor environments. Besides when you are at work, you are likely at home, taking care of your kids, and when you are actually outside you are often inside a vehicle and not being directly exposed to the sun.
Many people even fear that getting too much sun can do harm to the body. While you could get a sunburn and it can be visually displeasing it could be good for you as well. Besides preventing a vitamin D deficiency, your skin quality can improve immensely if you allow it to. If you do not have any tan at all then you may want to expose yourself to the sun more to get a decent tan. A sunburn that peels could even do good for your skin quality as it could get rid of all the dead skin cells.
If you are going to use exposure to the sun as a way to get enough vitamin D each day then you will want to be a little careful. You may want to wear sunscreen so that you do not get sunburnt or do any damage to your skin. Your skin will still absorb some of the sun and produce some vitamin D but it will not absorb enough to do any damage. If you are only going to get 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight each day then you may not have to worry about sunscreen but you will still get enough to produce a fair amount of vitamin D on a daily basis.
Food as a Vitamin D Source
If you want to make minor changes to your diet to get a sufficient amount of vitamin D each day then you will have to look for fortified foods. These are foods such as cereals, eggs, and fish which are fortified with vitamin D. It is important to know that the amount of vitamin D provided by these fortified foods is still not nearly enough. The best way to obtain the necessary amount of vitamin D each day through dietary changes would be to use vitamin D supplements. This may be costly though so you may want to avoid it unless you cannot get vitamin D through any other source each day.
Final Thoughts
It is important that you get enough vitamin D each day. It is an important vitamin which plays a role in bone health and strength. It can also have effects on the health and strength of your teeth. A sufficient amount of vitamin D each day can promote healthy use of calcium in your body.
Getting enough vitamin D each day is something that many people struggle to do. If you are in a relatively hot area then you could just get a bit of sun exposure each day. Just rest somewhere, even in the shade. It does not matter what part of the body is exposed to the sunlight. This means that you do not have to have direct exposure of sunlight to your face.
In the winter months you may be required to resort to vitamin D supplements though as there may not be enough sun exposure to prevent a vitamin D deficiency. Remember, vitamin D is extremely important and plays a major role in your overall health so you should go out of your way to prevent a vitamin D deficiency no matter what.
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