Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin!



Did you know that Vitamin D isn’t just a vitamin? It acts like a hormone in the body and is essential for many health processes.
🔹 What is Vitamin D?
A fat-soluble vitamin that our bodies produce when exposed to sunlight. It’s essential for bone health, immune support, muscle function, brain cell activity, and more. It helps our bodies absorb calcium and phosphorus, keeping our bones strong and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
🔹 Why is it Important?
Adequate levels are linked to improved immune function, mood balance, and even reduced inflammation. It’s also shown to play a role in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases and autoimmune conditions.
🔹 Factors That Can Reduce Vitamin D Production include:
  • Limited Sun Exposure: Living in northern climates or spending a lot of time indoors.
  • Time of Year: In Canada, the sun isn’t strong enough from October to April to produce sufficient vitamin D.
  • Age: As we age, our skin becomes less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D.
  • Skin Tone: People with darker skin have more melanin, which reduces the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight.
  • Sunscreen Use: While sunscreen is important for protecting skin, it also blocks vitamin D production.
🔹 Food Sources of Vitamin D
Getting enough vitamin D from food can be challenging, but you can find it in:
Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, egg yolks, fortified foods like plant-based milk, dairy, and orange juice, and mushrooms exposed to sunlight or UV light.
🔹 Should You Consider a Supplement?
Most people do not get the recommended amount of vitamin D from the foods they eat. If you live in a colder climate or don’t get much sunlight—especially in the winter—a supplement may be essential. Those at higher risk of deficiency include older adults (50+), people with darker skin tones, and individuals with digestive conditions that affect nutrient absorption, like IBS.

Check out this site for easy to understand recommendations.


Photo by Anna Shvets

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