How to Get your Vitamin D in the Winter
Over the last year, the evidence has been mounting that getting enough vitamin D is absolutely essential for our health and wellbeing. Without question, the best source of vitamin D comes from sunshine, the source of all life. This is contrary to the advice that has been given in the past, and is still given by many doctors and other health practitioners which say the sun is dangerous and we need to avoid it as much as possible.
Among other complaints, vitamin D deficiency can result in:
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer, especially bone, breast and prostate
• Adrenal Insufficiency
• Alzheimer’s disease
• PMS
• Depression (especially in the winter)
• Parkinson’s
But what do we do if we live in a place where there is not enough sunshine for us to have our essential dose of this vitamin? Unless people live in a warm and sunny place that is not too far away from the equator, getting enough sunlight in the winter is extremely difficult. Where I live in England, for example, we spend a lot of our time in grey weather, so it is necessary to find ways of ensuring that we get plenty of this amazing nutrient.
Here are 6 things that we can do to guarantee we get enough vitamin D this winter:
1. Spend as much time outdoors as possible to take advantage of what little sun there is, especially if you live in a place such as the southern part of the England which is often grey, but is still fairly mild and has bouts of sun most weeks. If it is a sunny day, eat your lunch outside and go for a walk, even if your face and hands are the only part of you that isn’t covered up. It may not be your entire dose of vitamin D, but it is a start and breathing in fresh air will be beneficial on many levels.
2. Don’t wear sunscreen. It is amazing how many skin creams, especially the expensive ones, come with sunscreen in them. This of course is due to the misguided view that we should never be out in the sun without sunscreen on. We must maximise the little amount of sunshine that we have access to, which means avoiding sunscreen. Further, creams with sunscreen in them are often highly toxic for our bodies.
3. Sun showers are vertical tanning units which are often available at health clubs and beauty salons. They increase the amount of vitamin D in the body. Of course it is important to remember that this is not about getting a great tan, this is about getting this important vitamin. 3 minutes is all that is needed to bring a little piece of summer into your life. People claim that sun showers completely transform their winters.
4. While pasteurizing milk destroys the vitamin D, unpasteurized milk still has this precious vitamin, as well as many other health enhancing nutrients in tact. It is also worth noting that a lot of pasteurized milks claim to be fortified with vitamin D; however it is much more difficult for the body to use fortified nutrients than the real thing.
5. Mackerel, salmon, and egg yolks are the foods with the highest amount of vitamin D, so if you are not a vegetarian, eat more of these foods in the winter. In saying that, make sure that you are getting fish that is from clean waters so that you don’t pollute your body with toxins that are found in the sea. Alaskan wild salmon is one of the cleanest fish you can eat because the waters there are still relatively unspoiled. And non organic eggs are packed with chemicals, hormones and antibiotics that you don’t want to go near.
6. Vitamin D can be found in cod liver oil. Again, make absolute sure that the brand you are using is of the absolute highest quality. Really research which brand is most pure.
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