Vitamin D requirements

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

Lately I've been concerned about getting enough Vitamin D, especially

during these cold winter months in the northern clime when I can't

get adequate sun exposure. It seems at least once a week, I run

across an article somewhere saying that many people are deficient in

Vitamin D. I've been wondering if those of you on a 100% raw vegan

diet take Vitamin D supplements, or use a sun lamp.

 

Elchanan, what do you recommend? I recently read Dr. Douglas

Graham's book " The 80/10/10 Diet " and don't remember this issue being

addressed in it. And since the book lacks an index, it's difficult

to go back and find any reference to it, if it was mentioned.

 

Since plants have no need for Vitamin D, there are really no natural

plant food sources of it. This article from the National Institutes

of Health lists foods that are high in Vitamin D: fish oils, egg

yolks, beef liver, fortified milk, cheese - all animal-derived foods,

rich in fats, and not something that raw foodists are likely to eat.

 

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

 

I found " Vegan D " tablets in the health food store that contains D2

(as opposed to D3 from animals), but I wonder how good that is as a

source.

 

This is from the above NIH article:

 

" Sun exposure is perhaps the most important source of vitamin D

because exposure to sunlight provides most humans with their vitamin

D requirement. UV rays from the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis in

skin. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog,

and sunscreen affect UV ray exposure and vitamin D synthesis. For

example, sunlight exposure from November through February in Boston

is insufficient to produce significant vitamin D synthesis in the

skin. Complete cloud cover halves the energy of UV rays, and shade

reduces it by 60%. Industrial pollution, which increases shade, also

decreases sun exposure and may contribute to the development of

rickets in individuals with insufficient dietary intake of vitamin D.

Sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 or greater will

block UV rays that produce vitamin D. "

 

Jan