Living in the Pacific Northwest in all of its beauty has one main disadvantage: the lack of ample sunlight year round. Sunshine not only lifts our moods, but is critical to our health. The sun’s UVB radiation gets converted to Vitamin D3 when our skin is exposed to it. It turns out only 20 minutes two times a week is enough to get the dosage we need to maintain optimal health. The problem with northern latitude regions like Seattle, is they are above the 37th parallel and don’t get enough UV sunlight half the year. To make matters worse for some, they lather on sunscreen because they’re afraid of skin cancer. This only blocks the skin’s ability to absorb the sun.
Without this natural method of receiving Vitamin D3 we need to get it from our diet. This is where we run into our second problem. Vitamin D is found in limited sources of food: eggs, cod liver oil, beef liver, fatty fish, and some mushrooms. This becomes a challenge because most people don’t get enough of those sources in their diet. If people are vegetarians or vegans, they cannot get enough Vitamin D without supplementation.
Supplementing with Vitamin D3 also presents a problem. Without appropriate levels of electrolytes, the vitamin becomes ineffective. The most critical mineral is magnesium in partnership with Vitamin D3. Supplementing with at least 300-400 mg per day of magnesium is critical to aid Vitamin D3 to do its job.
Just a few servings of magnesium-rich foods a day can meet your need for this important nutrient. Nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, leafy vegetables, milk, yogurt and fortified foods are good sources. One ounce of almonds contains 20% of the daily magnesium an adult needs. Even water (electrolytes, mineral or bottled) can provide magnesium.
The optimal level of Vitamin D for a healthy individual is 50 mg/ml. I recommend you get your blood markers tested to find out your level to make sure you’re in this healthy range.
On a personal note, I fell into poor health from stress during COVID. Rebecca and I have three school age children that became homeschooled, and my business (fitness industry) was deemed “non essential” and forced to close for most of 2020. After having shingles pop up from stress, I had my blood work done to check what was going on. My Vitamin D level was at nine! It took me all of 2021 to get it back up to a 60. Not surprising, I feel much better now.
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to depression, weight gain, muscle loss, insulin resistance, and the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Vitamin D’s benefits are many, including: bolstering a healthy immune system, regulating the body’s use of calcium and phosphorus (critical for healthy bones and teeth), regulating blood pressure, helping maintain muscle mass, increasing protein synthesis. It’s also essential to cardiovascular health.
It’s easy to see why so many ancient cultures in history erected buildings to worship the sun. They inherently understood its importance for life. I highly recommend you get outside in the sunshine this spring and summer. It would also help to supplement. Your health and life depend on it.
