It has been a hard winter and even on the sunny days, our potential for skin exposure for Vitamin D has been scant. Hopefully April will change that and we can get outside into the sunshine. Coordinating diet, exercise and sun exposure together gives us the best recipe for calcium, Vitamin D and our overall health.
Vitamin D is a hormone produced in our body from a conversion that occurs when our skin is exposed to sunlight. It is essential for many body processes. Sun exposure without sunscreen is necessary for our body to synthesize Vitamin D correctly. This means that in non-peak sunshine hours, we should shoot for at least 15-30 minutes of exposure daily with as much skin uncovered as possible. (This is without sunscreen and is considered safe by medical professionals.) Some foods like eggs and fish contain Vitamin D, but sun exposure is our best source.
Vitamin D is essential for us to be able to absorb any dietary calcium that we consume, which is important for our bones and nervous system.
Foods are the best way to get the calcium we need, but animal sources, including dairy, need to fall into that maximum of 25% portion of our diet and should be eaten in conjunction with plantbased
foods. High calcium plant foods include:
White Beans, Soy Beans or Soy Nuts, Baked Beans, Okra, Spinach, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Sesame Seeds, Almonds, Oranges, Tofu,Rhubarb, Kale, Swiss Chard
Exercise is beneficial for our overall health, and weight bearing exercise (like walking) is best for our bones. The most important thing to remember is that our health is dependent on many things working together, and being nourished properly with the best variety of foods.
