Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Increase your vitamin D intake
• Method 2 of 2: Understanding the importance of vitamin D.
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Vitamin D is a nutrient that can prevent all kinds of chronic diseases, including multiple cancers. But many people are deficient in vitamin D because it is not found in most foods. The biggest source of vitamin D is the sun, but sitting in the sun for too long is not good for the skin. Getting enough vitamin D can be difficult, but dieting, sun exposure, and supplements can help you get the most of the benefits of this important nutrient.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Increase your vitamin D intake

1. Take vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D is not much in the food we eat, even though it is very important for your health. It is therefore not possible to get enough vitamin D from food alone. While you should try to get vitamin D from foods, supplements of this scarce nutrient are also an important part of your health regimen. Vitamin D supplements come in two forms: vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).
   • Vitamin D3 is the form naturally found in fish and produced by the body when it processes sunlight. It is less harmful when taken in large quantities than vitamin D2, while it is the more powerful of the two and has more health benefits.
   • Most experts recommend supplements of vitamin D3 rather than vitamin D2. Ask your doctor for the correct dosage and a good brand.
   • Make sure you also take magnesium with your vitamin D supplements. Magnesium is necessary for the absorption of vitamin D, but it is also broken down during its processing. If you start taking vitamin D supplements without increasing your magnesium intake, you can become deficient in the latter.
2. Consider taking vitamin D2 if you are vegan. Vitamin D3 is more complete, but it is obtained from animal products. So vegans and vegetarians probably don't want to use that, despite the health benefits it offers. Vitamin D2 supplements, on the other hand, are synthetically composed of fungus and do not involve any animal products.
3. Increase your exposure to the sun with care. Although vitamin D is not very common in our diet, sunlight is full of it. However, you have to maintain a delicate balance between enough sunlight and too much: you shouldn't get burned or spend too long in the sun. To find this balance, sit in the sun for 10 to 20 minutes twice a week, with sunscreen on your face, not your arms or legs. You can also sit in the sun for 2 to 3 minutes several times a week, even with just sunscreen on your face. Either way, you shouldn't bake in the sun for hours.
   • Be careful not to overexpose your skin to UV rays from the sun. UV rays can cause skin cancer. Try to avoid burning at all costs - it not only hurts, but it also damages skin cells in such a way that it can lead to cancerous growths.
   • Always lubricate yourself completely when you go into the sun. You will probably still absorb some vitamin D if you wear sunscreen, but because the cream protects your skin from sunburn, the production of vitamin D decreases.
   • Your skin does not need to tan to produce enough vitamin D from exposure to sunlight.
4. Be aware of the factors that can influence the production of vitamin D by the sun. For example, living closer to the equator is a factor; people who live close to the equator are exposed to stronger sunlight than people who live close to the North or South Pole. Your natural skin color can also influence the production of vitamin D, because fair skin makes it easier than dark skin, because fair skin contains less melanin.
   • While you probably can't control these factors, you can choose what time you go into the sun. Choose the hours in the middle of the day rather than the morning or evening. In the middle of the day the sun is stronger and you will produce more vitamin D.
   • Expose as much skin as possible to the sun. Do not cover your arms and legs with long sleeves in those few minutes that you are going to sit in the sun! The more skin you leave uncovered, the more vitamin D you produce. However, use your common sense. If the sun is very strong in the summer, you can get sunburned quickly in certain parts of your body.
   • Note that the sun can be very strong even when it is completely cloudy.
   • Your body stores vitamin D, so if you regularly sit in the sun in the spring and summer, you can enjoy it all year round.
5. Eat foods rich in vitamin d. While there is not enough vitamin D in our diet, you should try to get as much as possible from your diet. The best natural source of vitamin D is fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines. If you can keep it in, cod liver oil is also a very good source. Dairy products such as eggs and cheese contain small amounts of vitamin D.
6. Look for foods with added vitamin D. With increasing awareness of the importance of vitamin D, more and more food manufacturers are responding by adding vitamin D to foods that it normally does not contain. Examples of this are milk and breakfast cereals.
7. Drink less caffeine. Research has shown that caffeine can affect vitamin D receptors and hinder their absorption. Because it affects the absorption of vitamin D, caffeine can also have a negative effect on the calcium levels in the body, because vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium. Don't drink too many caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, black tea, and cola.
   • It is better to take vitamin D a little later in the day, such as around lunch, and not with your cup of coffee or tea in the morning.
8. Use all of these suggestions at once. There isn't one thing you can do to get enough vitamin D. Research shows that while supplements are less effective than foods, our diet does not contain enough vitamin D. The only abundant natural source of vitamin D - the sun - is also very dangerous if you overuse it, as it can cause cancer. The best approach is to combine these three methods - supplements, sun and diet - to increase vitamin D intake.

Method 2 of 2: Understanding the importance of vitamin D.

1. Know the health benefits. A large number of studies have shown that vitamin D is an effective precautionary measure to prevent a variety of chronic diseases. It is best known for increasing the body's ability to absorb calcium, helping to prevent a variety of bone diseases, from rickets to osteomalacia (softening of the bones) and osteoporosis. Other studies show that getting more vitamin D can lower your blood pressure, reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and reduce the risk of diabetes, autoimmune disease, osteoarthritis and multiple sclerosis.
2. Be aware of the dangers of vitamin D deficiency. It's important to do your best to increase your body's vitamin D levels, as deficiency has been linked to a variety of chronic illnesses. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to type 1 diabetes, chronic muscle and bone pain, and various cancers, such as breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, esophageal and lymphatic cancers.
   • About 40-75% of people are deficient in vitamin D, mainly because it is not sufficiently in the diet, and because many people do not get enough sun. In addition, people are increasingly using sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, which also reduces the production of vitamin D.
3. Know if you have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. Although 40-75% of people are deficient in vitamin D, certain groups are even more likely to be deficient. It's important to know if you're at higher risk for this so that you can monitor and maintain your vitamin D levels. Groups with a higher risk are:
   • People with a sun allergy. Sunlight is poisonous to them.
   • People who hardly get out.
   • People with sun phobia.
   • People who are extremely sensitive to sunlight because they eat a bad diet.
   • Babies who are only breastfed.
   • People suffering from fat malabsorption.
   • People who are covered with clothes from head to toe every day.
   • Elderly people, in whom vitamin D is less absorbed through the skin.
   • People who are indoors all day - in a nursing home, for example.
   • People with a very strict diet.
4. Get tested for a vitamin D deficiency. See if your insurance policy will cover a blood test for vitamin D deficiency, also known as the 25-OH-D test or calcidiol test. The doctor takes some blood and sends it to the lab for analysis.
   • If the insurance does not reimburse it, you can also order a home test via the internet. These are not very cheap (around € 35), but it may be cheaper than having it done by a doctor if it is not reimbursed.
   • Vitamin D deficiency can be difficult to detect because its symptoms are very similar to other symptoms. Therefore, have your vitamin D levels checked regularly.
5. Keep your vitamin D levels within the recommended range. Once you have received the results of the examination, you must be able to interpret them and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. The research results give the data in units of nmol / L (nanomoles per liter). What the study actually measures is the amount of calcidiol in your blood, which is a good indication of vitamin D levels.
   • If the result is less than 50 nmol / L, you have a vitamin D deficiency. A result of between 52.5 and 72.5 nmol / L shows that you have little vitamin D in your blood, but no deficiency yet.
   • If the study shows that you have a lack or little vitamin D in your blood, adjust your diet, spend more time in the sun and take supplements to increase the vitamin D levels in your body.
   • Some people feel better when they have a lot of vitamin D in their body. Try to find the amount that makes you feel most comfortable, and keep the levels up by taking supplements and eating foods that are high in vitamin D.

Tips

• Be careful when exposing a baby, toddler or child to the sun. They should get regular sun on their skin, but take the usual precautions so that it is safe and have your child wear long-sleeved clothing and a hat.
• 30 minutes of sun a day is all we need to get enough vitamin D through the skin.
• Take advantage of the sun later in the day and stop using it. You may need to take a shower first to wash off the sunscreen, but it could be an option if, for example, you're going to be out in the sun for a while after work.
• Take a vitamin D3 supplement, especially if you work evening or night shifts. Many doctors recommend taking 4,000 to 8,000 IU per day, but consult your doctor first if you want to take more than 2,000 IU.

Warnings

• Since vitamin D is fat soluble, it can also be overdosed. This applies to all vitamins that are fat-soluble: A, D, E and K. The maximum dose is 10,000 IU vitamin D per day.
• When it is completely cloudy, the UV radiation is 50% less than when it is clear; shade reduces UV rays by 60%, but that doesn't mean your skin is safe if you're sensitive to the sun. You can even burn through the clouds. UVB radiation does not pass through glass, so if you are indoors in the sun, your body does not produce vitamin D.
• Vitamin D deficiency can lead to:
  • Rickets. Rickets is a disease that leads to insufficient bone formation in children, which can cause them to become deformed and quickly break bones. Rickets can also cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, which can cause the body to lack important minerals.
  • Problems with teeth, muscle weakness, greenwood fracture, crooked legs, x-legs, bone abnormalities of the pelvis, skull and spine, and calcium shedding which can cause brittle bones.
  • Mental illnesses such as depression or Alzheimer's.

Necessities

• Sunscreen if you go outside for more than 20 minutes.
• Food rich in vitamin D3
• Vitamin D3 Supplements