Have A Little Sunny D

The letter D is the fourth letter of the alphabet. It’s also one of the most important things you want for your body so your bones don’t deteriorate and so you don’t look like one of those Twilight vampires.

By Brithny

What do I mean, you ask? Well, I’m talking about vitamins. Specifically, Vitamin D.

Did you know that this D-elightful vitamin increases calcium absorption and thereby helps encourage healthy bone growth? It has shown promise in helping to prevent certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, and osteoarthritis.

The Institute of Medicine currently recommends an Adequate Intake (AI) of Vitamin D of 200 International Units (IU) for adults under age 50 (that means you!). As new studies continue to showcase vitamin D’s potential benefits, more scientists are calling for increased recommendations, some suggesting as much as 1,000 IU!

That number seems high at first, but considering that a fair-skinned person can manufacture 15,000 IU or more of vitamin D in as little as 30 minutes of sun exposure, it’s not that hard to get. In case you don’t like the outdoors, though (or it’s just too cold during winter), here are some easy ways to make sure you get enough D in your life:

1) Food

Seafood (usually around 300 IU every 3 ounces, but 1 TB of cod liver oil gives you 1,360 IU!) is one of the few natural food sources for Vitamin D, but fortified foods such as milk (100 IU per cup), yogurt, cheese, breakfast cereals, and juices help solve that problem. Other common foods included eggs (20 IU) and beef liver (15 IU).

2) Sunlight

Since it’s hard to reach the AI from only food (unless you particularly like drinking a spoonful of cod liver oil every day), be happy that your body can make its own Vitamin D with the help of sunlight. Don’t worry – you don’t need to bake in the sun to feel the effects; it only takes 5-10 minutes of sun exposure, 2-3 times a week! That’s a short walk to class, or a little stroll to the closest Starbucks.

3) Supplements

Yes, taking actual vitamins CAN help you get your Vitamin D (shocking, I know). The key is picking the right one. Most multivitamins contain 400 IU already, so don’t go over the recommended maximum supplement amount of 2,000 IU. Also, make sure it’s in the D3 form (it may be listed as cholecalciferol), since it’s the most readily absorbed form.

I hope this gives you some motivation to go outside and soak up some D! If nothing else, it’s the perfect excuse to ask your professor to have class on the quad today.