A Daily Dose Of Vitamin D Can Have An Incredible Impact On Your Mind And Body

Who doesn’t love dozing off in on a lounge chair in the sun? Reaching out for a refreshing frozen cocktail after a poolside snooze – you can’t beat it. Well, a light breeze rustling the leaves wouldn’t go amiss! Soaking up the rays on a long summer’s day may have you thinking, “life sure is good.” But what if all that sun exposure was having more of an impact than you first thought? Perhaps that extra bake may not be such a good idea... 

Vitamin D is unlike most of the other nutrients that your body needs. We’ll give you a hint as to why – some people refer to it as the “sunshine vitamin.” And that’s because, as your skin is exposed to sunlight, it begins to produce a hormone using your cholesterol supply called vitamin D.

Still, it’s tough to get all of the vitamin D your body needs – even if you’re basking in the sun! If you plan to get your supply from the foods you eat, well, that’s a tough task, too. Only a few foods apparently contain a sizable amount of it. And that’s why nearly 42 percent of all Americans are deficient in vitamin D, according to Healthline.

That’s not to say you can’t find vitamin D in what you eat, though. Healthline notes that there are two food-based sources of it: vitamins D3 and D2. You’ll find the former in animal products such as egg yolks or fish – especially fattier varieties. Meanwhile, the latter appears in some plants, mushrooms and even yeast.

Experts have found that animal-based sources of vitamin D are much more effective at raising the amount of it in the blood. If you can’t or don’t want to eat high-in-D3 foods – such as salmon, herring and eggs – you still have the opportunity to get the vitamin from what you eat. You just need to make sure that it’s a fortified product.