Good morning from Team Kaizen. Wherever you are in this beautiful nation, we hope the sun is shining. We hope the mornings are getting warmer and you’re noticing the days getting longer. We hope you’re forgetting about winter and are looking forward to long hikes, bike rides and days spent in parks, on lakes and in your own backyards – grilling up delicious, healthful foods.
Here at Kaizen Naturals®, mind-body connection go hand-in-hand. We believe in strong bodies and wills. We believe in asking for help. And, we believe in supporting our diets with the best possible supplements, ahem…protein powder. So with the sun shining, the question on everyone’s mind around here is, do you still need to take your vitamin D’s? We are not doctors, unless you count our PhD’s in authentic living, but we are good researchers.
The Findings
Best-known role is helping the body absorb calcium and phosphorus from foods, as well as nutrients critical for building and maintaining bones. Health Canada recommended (in 2011) daily intakes (RDAs) for vitamin D of 400 international units (IU) for infants, 600 IU for children aged one to adults aged 70, and 800 IU for adults over 70. Health Canada’s safe upper limit is 4,000 IU per day.
It’s estimated that up to 30 minutes of the sun’s rays on our hands, arms and face during the spring, summer and early fall can supply our bodies with up to 1,000 IU of vitamin D, even with our sunscreen on.
And, seeing as low levels of vitamin D can speed up bone loss and increase the risk of fractures, with tree climbing season just around the corner, we’re thinking of keeping up regardless of the fact that there’s more natural sunlight kissing our skin.
Of course some foods contain vitamin D; notably, milk and some brands of orange juice are fortified with vitamin D (100 IU per one cup) both of which are delicious with our Creamy Mango Whey Protein. So drinking your post-workout shake can actually be your sunshine in a glass. And hey, we all need a little more light, no? Ya, of course we do. In fact, sunlight actually cues special areas in the retina, which triggers the releases of serotonin. No wonder everyone is more happy when the sun is shining.
Bottom Line?
Sunlight is the best and only natural source of vitamin D, so be sun smart, but be sure to get some.