Are you getting enough vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a nutrient that's essential for good health and plays a role in everything from bone growth to immune function. But how much vitamin D do you really need, and what can you do if your levels are low? This blog post will answer these questions, as well as explore some of the best ways to get all the vitamin D you need each day.

Vitamin D does a little bit of everything

You may be surprised to learn that vitamin D is actually a fat soluble vitamin. It's essential for bone health and helps the body absorb calcium, which is important for muscle function and immune system health. Vitamin D is a nutrient that we need to get from sun exposure or our diet. It's not made by the body, so we need to consume it through food, sun and supplements.

In general, people with darker skin are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency than those with lighter skin. This is because the body produces more vitamin D from sun exposure in people with lighter skin. In addition, many people who live at higher latitudes and spend less time outdoors during the winter months may be at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency.

You can get vitamin D from food

You can get vitamin D in food, but it's in mostly in fish, eggs, and milk. Vitamin D is also found in mushrooms, spinach and broccoli. Vegetables rich in vitamin D include collard greens (1 cup: 42 IU), mustard greens (1 cup: 4 IU), turnip greens (1 cup: 2 IU), kale (1 cup: 2 IU), parsley (1 cup: 1 IU), broccoli (1 cup: 1 IU), green beans (1/2 cup: 1 IU) and spinach (1/2 cup: .08 IU).

So if you eat those foods regularly, you'll get enough vitamin D to meet your needs. But if you don't eat much of those foods (like vegans), you should consider taking vitamin D supplements daily to help fill in the gaps.

You can get vitamin D from supplements

You can get vitamin D from supplements. In fact, if you don't eat enough foods high in vitamin D and/or spend enough time in the sun to generate the recommended amount of vitamin D, then taking a supplement could be the best way to meet your daily needs.

But how much do you need? And should you get it from food or supplements? It depends on a few factors. For example:

1) How much vitamin D is in your diet? If you eat plenty of foods high in vitamin D, then supplementation might not be necessary.

2) How much time do you spend outside? If you're spending a lot of time in the sun (or getting plenty of outdoor light), then supplementation might not be necessary.

3) What are your other health conditions? People with certain diseases or conditions may need more vitamin D than others. In this instance, it is important to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements!

What are vitamin D normal levels?

In order to understand your vitamin D level, it's important to know how they're measured. Vitamin D levels are measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

Vitamin D levels can be either high or low, depending on your personal health and lifestyle. The average adult has about 20 ng/mL of vitamin D in their blood, but this number varies widely depending on the time of year and where you live. In addition to location specific factors like climate and altitude affecting vitamin D production from sunlight exposure, there are other factors that contribute to variations in our bodies' ability to produce enough vitamin D.

Assuming no or minimal sunlight exposure, the recommended daily adequate intake (AI) of vitamin D in Australia is 5 micrograms (200 IU) for children, adolescents and adults aged 19–50 years, 10 micrograms (400 IU) for adults aged 51–70 years, and 15 micrograms (600 IU) for adults over 70 years of age. Further information can be obtained here.

Too much vitamin D is not a good thing

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus. It also plays a role in keeping blood levels of calcium and phosphorus within the recommended range.

Too much vitamin D isn't common, but it can happen if you take high doses of supplements or eat too many fortified foods. Too much vitamin D can cause stomach pain, vomiting or nausea; itchy skin; muscle weakness; headache; weight loss; frequent urination; confusion; depression and fatigue.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners recommends that people maintain a blood level of vitamin D at 100 nmol/L. To avoid adverse effects, it is important not to exceed 150 nmol/L. If you are concerned about overdosing, see your doctor about getting a blood test for your vitamin D levels.

The best way to get your daily dose of vitamin D is to spend time in the sunshine

To get enough vitamin D, you need to spend time in the sun each day. The amount of time needed depends on where you live and how much skin you expose. In general, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most adults need about 15 minutes a day in the sunshine with no sunscreen to get enough vitamin D.

If you're fair skinned or have very little melanin in your skin (as do many people with northern European ancestry), it's best to limit unprotected exposure to midday sun. If you are darker skinned or have more melanin in your skin - for example, if you're Asian or African American - more unprotected time is needed because darkly pigmented people produce less vitamin D from UV rays than people with lighter skin tones.

Get vitamin D through food, a supplement - or the sun!

When it comes to vitamin D, there are three main sources. You can get vitamin D from your diet by eating fortified foods and/or supplements, from sunlight exposure (which is called "photosynthesis"), or by taking a supplement.

It's actually more difficult than you might think to get enough vitamin D from food alone, which is why many people turn to supplements. But with a little bit of planning and some extra effort, you can make sure that your diet provides all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. There are so many ways to get vitamin D, but some of the best sources are in the produce section. Did you know that one serving of vegetables or fruit can give you up to 20% of your daily intake? That's a lot!

Getting enough vitamin D through food alone or sun exposure can be tough because few foods naturally contain vitamin D. 
The best way to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D is to take a supplement daily — preferably one with at least 1,000 international units (IU) per day.

In Australia, the daily UL for both adults and children over 1 year of age (as defined by NHMRC) is 80 micrograms (3200IU), or the equivalent of more than 3 drops of Imuni Vital D3 - one of the best vitamin D supplements in Australia.

What is IMUNI Vital D3?

Vitamin D3 is a potent nutrient that can help support your overall health and wellbeing. Vital D3 are vegan friendly vitamin D drops with 1000 IU (IU = International Units) of vitamin D3 per drop. Each measured dose makes it easy to get your daily vitamin D dosage, which is crucial for supporting healthy immune system function.

Vitamin D3V is plant sourced supplement containing vitamin D liquid, which is identical to the vitamin D3 found in other supplements. However, unlike most forms of vitamin D3 - which comes from lanolin (made from sheep's wool). Vitamin D3V is made from sustainable algae.

All ingredients in Imuni Vital D3 are vegetarian and vegan friendly. Vitamin D3 has been shown to be significantly more effective than other forms of vitamin D, such as vitamin D2 commonly found in foods of plant origin.

Final thoughts

In a nutshell, vitamin D is the super nutrient that can make you feel better, look better and live longer. Vitamin D helps with bone growth and maintenance. It also helps regulate your body’s internal processes as well as your immune system functions. Without enough vitamin D in your diet, these systems may become compromised or deficient over time which ultimately leads to health problems such as rickets or osteomalacia (softening of bones).

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