Enjoy sun shiny days
Ahhhhhh! The sun is shining and it is a gorgeous day here in Charlotte! It felt great to sit out on the front porch and eat lunch with Kendall today, while soaking up some much needed Vitamin D!!
Speaking of Vitamin D; you may already know that the best source of Vitamin D is direct sunlight. I know, I know….I can hear you already…..what about skin cancer, sunscreen, etc? I am not telling you to go rub baby oil all over and bake in the sun for hours (like we used to do in high school)! But I am telling you that when I go outside, I get 5-10 minutes without sunscreen and then lather up 🙂
Here are just a few facts on Vitamin D:
- Sources vary on this, but your intake RDI for Vitamin D should be between 400-800 IU.
- If you are fair skinned, spending 10 minutes in the sun without sunscreen can produce up to 10,000 IU of Vitamin D.
- Vitamin D is absolutely necessary for the proper absorption of calcium and the metabolism of phosphorous in our bodies.
- Food sources of Vitamin D include fortified milk, eggs and fish.
- A 2010 study in Nutrition Journal found that 42% of Americans are deficient in the vitamin.
- Getting enough Vitamin D has been found to be helpful in treating or preventing diseases such aautoimmune disease, cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, flu, neuromuscular diseases, and osteoporosis.
So, if the sun is shining where you are today – enjoy it (for at least 5 minutes)