I am not one to take handfuls of vitamins, I fully believe in getting your nutrition from food first. That is a tough job, with soil depletion alone, foods are not nearly as full of vitamins and minerals as they were even 20 years ago. That being said, I still eat as close to 100% organic as possible. I drink smoothies, I juice vegetables, eat only grass fed organic meats, and eat as little grains and dairy as possible. There are not many foods rich in vitamin D. I eat next to no dairy, limited eggs, and fish only once or twice a week. EVEN IF I ate those things every day, I would not get enough vitamin D. You simply can’t get it by diet alone. Therefore, the #1 supplement I am sure to take, is Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D3

The sun is our friend. Research suggests that up to 85% of people could be deficient in vitamin D without knowing it… leaving them with less-than-optimal health. Vitamin D is responsible for the regulation of over 2,000 genes in your body!

Your skin naturally produces your body’s supply of vitamin D from direct exposure to bright midday sun with a mere ten or fifteen minutes’ exposure per day. From everything we have been told the sun is not our friend and we need to slather ourselves with toxic sunscreen to avoid skin cancer. This is not the answer. You NEED the sun EVERY DAY in order to get optimal Vitamin D levels. What is the #1 cause of skin cancer? You guessed it, LOW Vitamin D levels. So if your putting on sunscreen, you are sure to be low in vitamin D. If you live above the equator, in the winter you are getting no Vitamin D from the sun whatsoever. You see the theme here? Everyone should be supplementing with vitamin D, and in my opinion be sure to get some sun every day without the use of sunscreen. When you do use sunscreen, please research the safest ones, the vast majority of sunscreens found in stores is not safe for your health.

Not sold yet?

Here are the symptoms of low vitamin D levels:

• Fatigue
• General muscle pain and weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Joint pain
• Chronic pain
• Weight gain
• High blood pressure
• Restless sleep
• Poor concentration
• Headaches
• Bladder problems
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Depression or “winter blues” (no sun anyone)?
• Frequent colds

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How about the diseases associated with low vitamin D levels:

• Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
• 17 varieties of Cancer (including breast, prostate and colon)
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Bursitis
• Gout
• Infertility and PMS
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Pain
• Periodontal disease
• Psoriasis (1)

I recommend that if you suspect that your levels are low that you get them tested. Your primary doctor can do this for you, no specialty needed. You can go ahead and take the recommended dosages that I am giving you from Dr. Mercola’s website, but make note**** I tested on the low end of the scale when I was taking 4,000IU every day and have since then begun taking quite a bit more. Currently I take approximately 7,000IU every day, my kids get 2,000IU (5 and 7). If I feel like I am coming down with a cold or am sick we take more. Now if it is summertime, we are outside quite a bit and might not take any at all.

As a general rule of thumb, older people need more than young people, big people need more that little people, larger people need more than smaller people, northern people need more than southern people, dark-skinned people need more than fair skinned people, winter people need more than summer people, sun block lovers need more than sun block haters, sun-phobes need more than sun worshipers, and ill people may need more than well people.-Dr. Frank Lipman

The chart below is from Dr. Mercola’s website. He is a wealth of information on Vitamin D.

So are you thinking what if I take too much? Rest assured that Vitamin D toxicity is unheard of at these lower levels. Dr. Mercola emphasizes that “under summer conditions it is frequently possible to generate about 20,000 units of vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun. That fact makes these recommendations seem more in line with reality”.

The OPTIMAL value that you’re looking for is 50-70 ng/ml. (2)

Having optimal vitamin D levels may slash your risk of all cancers by 77% and breast cancer by 90%. (3) This alone is reason for me to monitor my levels. You should too!

Resources 

http://www.drfranklipman.com/symptoms-diseases-associated-with-vitamin-d-deficiency/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/10/vitamin-d-experts-reveal-the-truth.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/12/vitamin-d-may-prevent-breast-cancer.aspx

Please note that I am not a medical practitioner. The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical advice. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider. By using this website, you assume full responsibility and liability for your own actions.