Regardless of your age or whether you have school aged children, this time of year signifies back to school and the on-set of fall. It is peak harvest time in many areas and a perfect time to introduce you and your family to new foods and a new outlook on healthy eating. Take a trip to a farmers market or even better, head out to a u-pick farm. Make it a goal to introduce something new to your diet or make a change for the better. While the days get shorter and the sunshine less frequent, don’t forget about getting continued access to Vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced naturally by our bodies, converting cholesterol when exposed to the sun (it takes about 10 minutes of full sunlight exposure to non-sunscreen protected skin – think shorts and a tank top – to get about 10,000 IU’s). Aside from the summertime, most areas of the US do not get enough peak sun in order to properly give our bodies the necessary Vitamin D it requires. And while food (catfish, oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, tuna, sun-dried mushrooms – these need to be actually dried in the sun and not just dehydrated to help) can provide some of our Vitamin D needs, most people should be on a supplement throughout the non-summer months.
Both Roizen and Willett recommend consuming the aforementioned D-laced foods whenever possible, but point to pills as your safest bet to amp up D levels. “Vitamin D3 is created in the body and activated by the sun or added to foods, but it’s also the same version you get from supplements,” explains Roizen. So, while research is ongoing on as to the clear amount of D we should each strive for, “I think it makes sense for most people to take 1000 or 2000 IU’s of vitamin D per day as a supplement,” says Willet who suspects we’ll eventually being seeing modified vitamin D recommendations as scientific evidence accumulates. “There’s a strong suggestion that people with darker skin may even need up to 4000 IU’s per day,” he says.And a little insider tip: “There’s data that shows taking vitamin D with a fat like DHA, omega-3, or just have a little olive oil and bread with it, absorbs better,” notes Roizen.