Here Comes The Sun!! What's The D(eal)??

Here comes the sun! I come from a tropical country, so that makes my heart smile!

My body smiles too because that increases my chances of exposure to the sun with moderation, not only to look tanned, but also to boost my Vitamin D level.  The ultraviolet rays help the body synthesize that vitamin. However that’s just a small percentage from what your body needs.

As part of my current fat loss health recovery journey, I found out my Vitamin D level is low and I am not on a prescription dosage to bring it back up in addition to a higher nutritional supplementation. To me, that’s a big deal because studies show that low levels of vitamin D can be associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis, heart problems, and obesity.

The last one particularly interests me in my journey.

I had learned through Metabolic Effect’s Dr. Jade Teta that University of Minnesota’s researcher Shalamar Sibley has found that inadequate levels of vitamin D could inhibit a overweight person’s ability to lose fat, even on a fat loss/weight loss diet.

That totally caught my eye!

The doctor did not recruit specifically people who had low levels of Vitamin D. She was doing a weight loss study with overweight  and they all happened to be Vit D deficient! That obviously indicated some relation with the problem.

The more elevated vitamin D levels found in that study also predicted higher fat loss, specially in the abdominal area.

Now I’m sure more research is popping up with more definitive conclusions.

Also, how about your ability to exercise, exert without pain or injury? Certainly keep an eye on that too! Another research from the same University showed that in a group of 150 patients who had chronic musculoskeletal pain, an alarming 93% were deficient in Vitamin D.

So, if you are a calcium freak to get your bones strong, you’d better check your Vitamin D level because that’s essential for calcium absorption too.

So, get some sun, check out the food list below to boost your vitamin D intake, but most importantly, CHECK YOUR VITAMIN D LEVEL!!!!!

I’m not a doctor, so I can’t recommend dosages. Mine has to be kept between 3,000-5,000 IU just for maintenance! I’m also on a 3 month treatment of 50,000 per week prescribed by my doctor. Again, each person is different, so ASK YOUR PROVIDER, but please don’t let something so simple become a huge problem for you.

Here is a list of some foods and their Vitamin D content.

SOURCE:			VITAMIN D CONTENT
SALMON
	fresh, wild (3.5 oz)		about 600-1,000 IU of D3
	fresh, farmed (3.5oz)		about 100-250 IU of D3 or D2
	canned (3.5 oz)		about 300-600 IU of D3
SARDINES, canned (3.5 oz)			about 300 IU of D3
MACKEREL canned (3.5 oz)			about 250 IU of D3
TUNA canned (3.5 oz)			about 230 IU of D3
COD LIVER oil (1 tsp)			about 400-1000 IU of D3
SHITAKE MUSHROOMS
	fresh (3.5oz)		about 100 IU of D2
	sun-dried (3.5oz)		about 1600 IU of D2
EGG YOLK			about 20 IU of D3 or D2
EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT			about 3000 IU of D3
UV B radiation (0.5 minimal erythemal dose)
FORTIFIED FOODS
	milk		about 100 IU/8oz, usually D3
	orange juice		about 100 IU/8oz, D3
	Infant formulas		about 100 IU/8oz, D3
	yogurts		about 100 IU/8oz, usually D3
ASK YOUR PROVIDER ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS!!