Your body makes Vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight. In fact 80% to 100% of the Vitamin D we need comes from the sun. This won’t be a problem at The Reset Button Retreat in April, however right now many of us are not getting enough sun to create sufficient vitamin D.
Your skin also effects how much of the vitamin you are getting – the average 70 year old creates only 25 percent of the vitamin D a 20 year old does. Skin colour makes a difference too, dark skin produces less.
During these gloomy months increase your intake of Vitamin D with the foods that contain it naturally: fatty wild fish like mackerel and herring, mushrooms and cod liver oil.
Vitamin D deficiency affects over a quarter of the UK population. Lack of Vitamin D has been linked to many cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, fibro myalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
I regularly test clients for Vitamin D deficiency (ask for a 25 OH vitamin D test). If you find you are low, take vitamin D3 drops (the active form), boost your diet with oily fish and make sure you enjoy a little bit of sunshine when you can.
Written for The Reset Button by Claudia Norris Nutritionist. Book your place on The Reset Button Retreat via www.theresetbutton.co.uk