Nutrition and Vitamin D Good Health and Nutrition

Vitamin D – It Comes After C

Unlike vitamin c, though, vitamin d is a fat soluble vitamin that is not found in many foods (naturally). It is often added to other foods and can be found easily in supplements. When UV rays strike your skin, it triggers the synthesis of vitamin D in your body. This synthesis can occur in as little as 10 minutes.

Any vitamin D obtained from the above sources has to undergo two processes in your body in order for the vitamin to be utilized. Don't worry, you don't have to even think about them. Vitamin d, by the way, is essential for absorbing calcium in the stomach and this is why you often see milk products with added vitamin d.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Without a sufficient amount of this vitamin, your bones can become weak and brittle and even misshapen. This vitamin also helps us with immune functions and the reduction of inflammation, amongst other things.

As with most other supplements, and vitamins and minerals, the dosage needed or for best effectiveness, varies by age and gender and weight. There are numerous sources of info on the Web and in books for this kind of information, so be sure and spend a little time in looking around. Also, your pharmacist or health care professional will be able to advise you. Vitamin d is available as an additive to food and liquids, also as a supplement in several different forms.

As mentioned above, very few foods naturally contain vitamin d. Fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel, plus fish liver oils, are some of the best naturally occurring sources for this vitamin. Smaller amounts of the vitamin are in cheese, egg yolks, beef liver and to a lesser amount, some mushrooms.

Vitamin D Supplements

Fortified foods provide most of the vitamin d in Americans' diets. Most milk has 100% of the needed daily amount. In the 1930's, rickets was a problem so this vitamin D milk program was started. Again, cheese and ice cream are usually not fortified with vitamin d. Breakfast cereals off the shelf, some orange juice, margarine and yogurt often contain added vitamin d.

Food Sources With Vitamin D

Some food sources that do contain vitamin d are: Cod liver oil, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines, margarine, milk, breakfast cereal that's ready to eat (flakes, clusters of something, etc.), eggs. beef liver and Swiss cheese. Now, I'm not suggesting you cook up all of those foods into one dish of course, but here's a recipe that might work for a few of them.

Broiled Salmon With Swiss Cheese Fettuccine

Try and get the freshest piece of salmon you can from the supermarket or store, and not previously frozen if you can help it. Season with a little salt and pepper and fresh herbs (or whatever seasonings you prefer). Do this at the last minute after you have cooked your pasta dish. Make your Swiss cheese fettuccine by cooking the pasta of your choice (either regular or gluten free). After draining the pasta return it to the pan and coat it with the cheese sauce you have just made, then top it with the freshly grilled salmon.

Decorate your plates or platter with some fresh herbs and lemon slices or wedges and you are set to go. Make a great cheese sauce by putting a couple of tablespoons of flour of your choice in a pan, along with some butter or margarine (do not use oil). Cook for a minute then add milk (vitamin D fortified would be good!). Heat until it thickens, then add freshly grated or shards (use a veggie peeler) Swiss cheese and heat until the cheese is melted. I like to season with a little black pepper. Salt is not needed unless you like things really salty.

If you don't like fish or beef liver, then the way to go is with vitamin d fortified foods. Also, really do check around on the Web for good sources of supplements like the vitamin D, plus as we mentioned above, a little research into additional purchased types of vitamin d would be good knowledge to have, due to the vital need for the correct amount of this vitamin, plus the real lack of foods containing it. And one cannot subsist on sardines or beef liver alone, that's for sure! One has to balance diet, supplements, exercise and a hefty amount of common sense these days, in order to keep ourselves healthy, wealthy (or at least with a few more bucks in our pocket, and definitely wise (or wiser!)