This week, I came across an interesting article in Woman and Home magazine about the important role of vitamin D in our diets. I work in an office environment and get very little time out in sunlight - in the winter this gets even worse. Many of us just don't get the level of sunlight needed to produce enough vitamin D so eating a diet high in vitamin D or supplementing is a good alternative.
Many cultures are getting severely deficient in this vitamin and getting enough from the sun means direct exposure to sunlight for 15 minutes each day - fairly easy in the summer but very difficult in many northern hemisphere countries in the winter months. In addition, the advice we get about using sunscreen is a great one but it also means we are getting even less vitamin D absorption.
Research also shows that many obese people are deficient so studies suggest that increasing your intake along with getting enough calcium may help. Other health benefits include:
- Increased immunity
- Protection against cancer
- Good bone health
- Mood improvement
- Better brain function
- Help with POCS and fertility
Vitamin D Boosts Weight Loss Efforts
