Challenge #19– May 24, 2010

Week Nineteen: May 24, 2010

Challenge:  It’s ‘D’ Time!

Well, the sun seems to be shining a bit more these days, which brightens everyone’s mood as they carry on with their daily routines.  It’s amazing how much better one can feel by catching a few of the sun’s rays in their day.  We hear a lot about Vitamin D during the cooler, darker winter months, and how important it is to reach adequate levels of the vitamin.  But why?  Vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium, explaining why we often find milk products fortified with the vitamin.

When the body doesn’t have enough Vitamin D, it compensates by leaching calcium from our bones.  Calcium is also a precursor for the active form of Vitamin D our bodies need, when sunlight isn’t available, which is why we need to ensure we are reaching the right levels of Vitamin D.  If we don’t, our bones will become weaker as more and more calcium is taken from them, leading to issues such as rickets, in children, and osteomalacia and/or osteoporosis in adults (through long periods of inadequate D absorption).

Exposure to the sun’s rays allows our bodies to make Vitamin D, BUT, taking a small dose of Vitamin D (measured in International Units) is still ok to do during the summer months, and definately in the winter months.

So, keeping with our challenges of nutrition and fitness health, this week, I encourage you to get out and about for at least 30 minutes a day.  Go for a walk, run or rollerblade.  Take the kids and neighbours to the park and have some fun playing with a soccer ball, Frisbee, baseball or football.  Take advantage of the weather……not only for the good of your nutrition health, but for that of your physical health too!

Include food sources that provide your body with Vitamin D as well:

• Cod liver oil
• Cold water fish – mackerel, salmon, herring
• Eggs (mainly the yolk) – be mindful if high cholesterol issues exist
• Plant sources are generally lower in Vitamin D, but the best sources include dark leafy greens