Best Sources For Getting Enough Vitamin D

Get ready for the mad flurry of press on the benefits of Vitamin D in fighting cancer after some very positive research came out of the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology suggesting a strong correlation between moderate amounts of Vitamin D and prevention of breast and colorectal cancers.

There are 3 clear sources of Vitamin D, our own bodies produce it with exposure to the sun, Vitamin D rich foods, and supplements.

While it's tempting to jump on the supplement band-waggon, the first question we must ask is can we get enough Vitamin D from the Sun and the best food for Vitamin D?

Anyone living in the North understands that the quality of the sun in the winter months combined with the fact that you can't leave anymore than about 20% of your body exposed severely limits your ability to get enough Vitamin D by the sun only.

The growing prevalance of skin cancer is also a major factor in how much time people will spend in the sun, even though most research suggests 10-15-minutes in the afternoon sun for most people is sufficient for Vitamin D levels listed in the cancer-fighting studies.

Even still, there are other methods to get our Vitamin D intake.

That leaves us next with understanding how to get vitamin D from our diet, so what are the best foods for getting vitamin D?

FOODS HIGH IN VITAMIN D:

- Cheese and Milk as well as most dairy products (you may even see some dairy substitute products enriched or fortified with Vitamin D)
- Fish (especially smaller fish such as sardines, trout, salmon)
- Margarine
- Oysters
- Egg yolks

vitamin D is one of those vitamins that can cause nasty side effects if you ingest too much - symptoms may include kidney stones, nausea and weakness if too much is taken. So, it's not one of those vitamins that you can mega-dose on and get away with it.

SO - ARE SUPPLEMENTS REQUIRED?

Supplements should be a last resort, instead, more short-periods of exposure to the sun and eating a diet rich with vitamin D and vitamin D fortification will help to maintain a healthy level discussed in the latest research in warding off colorectal and breast cancers.

Finally, it is important to note that yoga and meditation can play a role in the battle to get more from the best food for getting vitamin D. When many of us are stressed, our digestion suffers - in effect we are no longer producing the proper enzymes in our gut to properly break down and benefit from vitamins in our foods.

So - if we are in a state of chronic stress, then we are most likely not getting the full benefit of vitamin D in the foods we eat. Mix your overall health and nutrition plan with yoga and meditation to get all of the benefits of vitamin D rich foods.