It’s often difficult to know exactly what nutrients your body lacks or needs to stay healthy. But something most of us suffer from, especially during the winter months, is a lack of vitamin D.
The body makes vitamin D when skin is directly exposed to the sun, but during the winter and fall months, when the sun isn’t always plentiful, we need to boost our vitamin D intake in other ways.
What is vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D offers so many benefits to our body, helping to keep our immune system strong and our bones healthy. But we can’t produce it ourselves, our body needs the sun to do so.
In the winter season, however, when the sun is not around as often as we’d like it to be, we need to get vitamin D in other ways. If you don’t get enough it can lead to a variety of serious health conditions.
Vitamin D deficiency – risk groups
According to the National Food Agency, there are certain groups that are at extra risk of vitamin D deficiency. These are:
- All children under two years
- Children and adults who do not eat fish or foods rich in vitamin D.
- Children and adults who wear solid clothing or do not stay in the sun
- Those over 75 years
Foods containing vitamin D
During the winter months it is especially important to eat foods rich in vitamin D.
It’s recommended that we have 10 to 20 micrograms of vitamin D per day but this depends on our age and exposure to the sun.
Foods that contain vitamin D include:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines.
- Foods fortified with vitamin D, like some dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals.
- Beef liver
- Cheese
- Egg yolks
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms
Your body will alert you to the fact it doesn’t have enough vitamin D, here are some of the signs that may indicate your body is craving it.
- Muscle weakness
- Bone and back pain
- Breathing problems
- Tiredness
- Hair loss
- Muscle pain
- Weight gain
- Bad moods
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Severe headaches
- More frequent illness
- Dizziness
Please share these important warning signs with your friends on Facebook so they know what to look out for and what action to take.
