As we enter the summer season and experience the longest daylight hours of the year, this is a good time to consider our dependence on the sun for daily life. Our modern conveniences of electricity, natural gas, and supermarkets can distract us from recognizing how important the sun is. The sun is the source of all energy on the planet from coal to oil and natural gas, to the fresh food in the market place, all the chemistry involves energy input from the sun. In addition, the sun provides another critical chemistry creation in your body with the formation of Vitamin D, the true sunshine vitamin.
Have you noticed how fewer people have flu symptoms and colds during the summer months? A key reason for this is the increased exposure to sunshine. Sunshine is the necessary energy boost your body uses to convert cholesterol into Vitamin D. The ultraviolet light from the sun is a powerful energy packet that transforms cholesterol in your skin into Vitamin D. This is the only vitamin the human body has the ability to construct and it can only be made with the ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that has steroid strength in your body. Vitamin D is able to start actions in the nucleus of your cells that no other vitamin can turn on. Bone strength and immune cell response are two key areas of health dependent on stable levels of Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for a healthy pregnancy and can pass through the placenta to the baby as well as moving through the placenta back to the mother. Vitamin D is essential for a healthy start to life as well as sustaining through all the stages of life.
A healthy level of Vitamin D in the human body is between 40 – 80 ng / ml. According to Grassrootshealth.net, the average American has a measure of about 30 ng / ml. During the COVID pandemic, those individuals who were placed in Intensive Care Units at the hospital typically had Vitamin D levels lower than 30 ng / ml. Contrast with those who work outdoors for a living, such as landscapers, construction workers, and lifeguards, whose average measure is around 50 ng / ml. The sun is not to be avoided as some might suggest, for it is our source of life.
Healthy exposure to sunshine includes timing and quality foods. Sunburn is a result of overexposure and some unhealthy food sources. Spend time in the sunshine before 11 am and after 4 pm to avoid the intensity that can burn. In addition, increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids like extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil while reducing intake of Omega 6 fatty acids, which are found in vegetable oil, corn oil, and deep-fried foods. The high consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids increases the chance of sunburn because Omega 6 fatty acids are unstable in ultra-violet light. An individual who consumes healthy oils can spend more time in the sunshine without concern of getting sunburn.
For those who do not get outside frequently, a quality supplement for Vitamin D is cod liver oil. This supplement is available with lemon or orange flavoring, so it is easy to take with food. I recommend taking cod liver oil with your meal. Cod liver oil is a wonderful combination of Vitamin D, Vitamin A, and omega 3 fatty acids, so you are getting a quality supplement with every spoonful.
Ask your doctor for a Vitamin D test or go online to grassrootshealth.net to request a simple kit to be mailed to your home so you can test where your Vitamin D level is. The common lifestyle of many Americans involves staying indoors out of the sunshine doing office work and sheltered in air-conditioned settings. A test of your Vitamin D level can provide you with a good evaluation of the next steps you need to take in lifestyle and healthy food choices.
Every health challenge you face in the year ahead has a nutritional answer to it. Your health challenge can be successfully addressed with a quality nutrition plan. Contact me to discuss your health goals for the coming year. I can help you realize greater health freedom in 2025. You can contact me at nutritionproportion@gmail.com, or check out my website at www.nutritionproportion.net
