How nature can boost your vitamin D levels
Spring is in the air, which is good news for your vitamin D status as well as your mood!
The days are getting longer, the birds are singing and the first flowers are starting to bloom.
But spring’s blue skies bring more than just positive vibes after a long, cold winter — basking in the sunshine is also one of the best ways to fill up your vitamin D tank.
The sun is a “natural delivery source” for this hormone which is essential to your body, especially your bones.
How does vitamin D work in the body?
There’s no doubt about it, the so-called “sunshine vitamin” is a workhorse when it comes to the human body.
You need vitamin D for building and maintaining healthy bones because you can only absorb calcium, the primary component of bones, when it is present.
This rockstar nutrient also regulates lots of other cellular functions with its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties also supporting immune health.
What happens when I’m down on Vitamin D?
It’s estimated about 1 billion people around the world have low blood levels of vitamin D and one in three Australian adults suffers mild, moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency.
It can cause loss of bones density, osteoporosis later in life and broken bones, as well as muscle weakness, muscle aches and muscle cramps.
How do I get vitamin D?
As you’ve already heard, our bodies produce vitamin D as a response to sun exposure.
When the sun’s rays hit your skin, they turn a chemical in your skin into vitamin D3.
This is then transferred from your liver to your kidneys, where it becomes an active form of vitamin D that’s usable in your body.
For many people between 10 to 30 minutes in the sun each day is enough.
You can also boost your vitamin D through certain foods (such as fortified milk and fortified cereal and fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines) and from supplements.
A ‘Vital’ plant based vitamin D supplement
Vital, Australia’s number 1 plant-based supplement range known for its Vital All-in-One, has just launched a new range of plant-based supplements.
Designed to support general health and wellbeing, they may be more likely to be absorbed when compared to synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Did you know that most Vitamin D3 supplements include Vitamin D3 derived from lanolin from sheep’s wool?
Vital Vitamin D3 uses a plant based source of Vitamin D3 to support levels of this essential nutrient in your body and healthy immune system function.
With Vitashine D3, a special oily extract of lichen that is naturally rich in Vitamin D3 and fatty acids, Vital Vitamin D also contains mushrooms as a supporting natural source of the sunshine vitamin as well as providing immune support.
Free from gluten, dairy and animal products and 100 per cent vegan, just like sunshine in a bottle. Hello spring!
* This post is brought to you by Vital Vitamin D. Always read the label and follow directions for use. Dietary supplements should not replace a balanced diet.
