The Truth About Vitamin D
f you’ve been following the *confusing* medical news since Covid, you might have heard that vitamin D (and zinc) are all the rage. However, not many people know why. How many times has your doc not discussed or drawn your vitamin D level?
I live in the scorching Arizona heat of a nearly uninhabitable desert, but many of my fellow desert lovers still have low levels of vitamin D. How is that possible? How do we fix it? And, why do we care about vitamin D?
Are you taking your vitamin D daily? Most people aren’t. This is an easy fix! After finishing this read, head to Amazon or Sprouts and order a supplement of 2,000 – 5,000 IUs per day. It is a safe dosage that will benefit all, unless like I said, you are an impressive, tan caveman.
It’s difficult to obtain enough vitamin D in your diet without supplementation, however some high vitamin D foods are egg yolks, the skins of salmon, mackerel, & sardines, and mushrooms. Try mushrooms as freeze-dried for a low calorie, nutrient-packed snack.
(…Unless you’ve got my stomach that completely ejects mushrooms from my stomach every time I try to *purposely* eat them).
A Secret Weapon
Vitamin D is a secret weapon and it does so many wonderful things that can’t be ignored!
Here are some examples. It…
- directly affects glands that manage metabolism, sleep, energy, and the female cycle.
- is more important to bone health than calcium.
- decreases allergies.
- significantly improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.
- improves thyroid function
There are certain groups of people that benefit the MOST from vitamin D such as
- Obese population. This is because skin doesn’t convert vitamin D as well with a thicker fat layer present. Taking it by mouth eliminates that problem and increases your vitamin D levels to help your body to lose weight.
- IBS or IBD population. 82% of IBS patients are vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D decreases bowel inflammation and gut flareups.
- People with allergies. Vitamin D stabilizes little allergy cells called mast cells. Mast cells are high in many conditions like psoriasis, eczema, painful and frequent urination, and asthma. I used to get almost daily of hives from “unknown origin”. The doctor’s didn’t know what was wrong and suggested I take a daily allergy pill. BUT, when I am consistent with both my anti-inflammatory diet and my supplements (which includes vitamin D) they are GONE. Here’s evidence of when i’m being bad with my food choices and not taking my supplements, –>
- Hypothyroid patients. Low levels of vitamin D make hypothyroid symptoms more aggravating.
What the Standard Doctor Recommends
The Mayo Clinic and National Institute of Health (NIH) recommend daily intake of vitamin D for people ages 1-70 at still only 600IU (international units) per day.
…That will not get you very far!
Standard doctors say deficiency is <20ng/ml. To be honest, 20 is a debilitating level. A good friend of mine showed me her lab work the other day. Her vitamin D was a gut-wrenching 14ng/ml. 14!! No WONDER she is exhausted and can’t seem to escape her slump!
Functional medicine doctors (holistic docs who focus on your individual health and how you feel), recommend a level of 50-80ng/dl (The Institute of Functional Medicine, 2021).
Don’t have blood work done? That’s ok. You can safely assume you are in need of vitamin D supplement unless you are one who spends every day out in your loin cloth hunting for deer and enjoying those deer’s liver for dinner.