Submitted by Laura Jacobs
Keeping alert, strong and healthy is essential for us to remain at the top of our game. Running errands, performing a hundred tasks at once and keeping on top of our households doesn’t come easily and we’re prepared for that, but often times, we’re so busy taking care of everyone else’s health that we forget about our own. We forget to sleep enough, eat enough and put time aside to look after ourselves.
One example is vitamin D. Many of us assume we get it from the sun and probably presume we get enough merely by going outside, but this isn’t the case, in fact, the sun merely triggers the process. The vitamin itself helps your bones get the calcium they need to remain strong, and also keeps your muscles and immune system in full working order. If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you may be at risk of cancer, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes and immune dysfunction. However, adequate levels of the vitamin are said to improve these conditions and even reverse the effects of them. A healthy level of vitamin D is said to be 16 – 74 ng/mL. However, most experts believe you should be aiming for around 32 ng/mL in order to achieve optimum bones health.
Vitamin D is found in only a few foods, like certain types of fish and mushrooms, so taking a supplement is recommended in order to get your daily recommended dose. It’s suggested that most women should get around 15 mcg a day of vitamin D; this equates to around 3 or 4 cod liver oil tablets. To make this easier to remember, just take one with each meal. There’s currently a worrying amount of people suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, therefore, spreading awareness and education on the subject is essential.
About the writer: Laura Jacobs has worked as a freelance writer for the past few years after a decade spent in sport and nutritional science. She developed a guide for Vitamin D Deficiency. She now enjoys writing about her favorite subjects, sharing guides to help educate people about their bodies, lifestyles and spending time with her family.