You'd think the sunlight you get is enough to prevent a Vitamin D deficiency. But experts say that it's not
Living in the sunny city isn't enough for your daily quota of Vitamin D, a vitamin most easily attained by the body through the absorption of sunlight. Dr Shonali Sabherwal, a certified macrobiotic food consultant explains why a large number of people are now Vitamin D deficient. It's not just about the sun.
Adequate fill
Normally speaking, Vitamin D aids a large number of critical functions in the body without which systems begin to fail. It helps absorb calcium in the body and maintains phosphorus levels which are critical for bone development. It also helps with weight loss and reduces muscle fatigue and skin disorders. It improves your immunity and is also known to reduce the incidence of cancer and heart diseases. According to studies, adequate quantities of the vitamin also help combat depression and type II diabetes. In spite of your sun tan, you might still be deficient for the vitamin owing to the following reasons:
Junk yard woes
The kidneys play an essential role in converting Vitamin D into a usable substance for the body. Most people in cities suffer from what might be known as 'adrenal fatigue'. Lifestyle ills such as drinking excessive tea/coffee, not sleeping enough, consuming processed foods and too much salt end up having a snowball effect on your system. The adrenal glands located above the kidney regulates your stress response and immunity, which are affected adversely by these excesses. Better immunity, in turn, ensures better absorption of Vitamin D. Help your adrenals by resting adequately, cutting back on sugar and processed foods and eating more vegetables, grains legumes, etc.
Gut instinct
In order to adequately absorb Vitamin D, the body needs to break down fat which doesn't happen if the digestive system is ailing. When someone suffers from diarrhea or colitis, there is no absorption of the vitamin as the food consumed passes through and is digested in the intestines instead of the stomach. In such cases, liver pumps in reserve Vitamin D that it stores in its system and if the liver is weak as well, the body is denied these stores. People advised to consume oil-based laxatives also suffer from low Vitamin D absorption.
Magnesium connect
We need Vitamin D for efficient calcium utilization. Magnesium plays a huge role in the effective utilization of calcium and Vitamin D. It is responsible for stimulation of 'calcitonin' a hormone which increases calcium in our bones. Good sources of magnesium are soybeans, mung, black beans (kaala rajma), whole grains particularly buckwheat (kuttu), all millets (ragi, jovar, nachni, bajra), nuts and seeds especially sesame seeds etc and all green and leafy vegetales.
Most chocoholics have a magnesium deficient diet and crave magnesium and, therefore, crave chocolate. Chocolates also contain theobromine, a caffeine-like substance high on oxalic acid (chemical substance that leads to kidney stones and binds with calcium, preventing absorption). If used habitually, it inhibits overall mineralization in the body. If you must have chocolate, look for a good dark variety.
Grainy business
Phytic acid, found in grains and legumes, binds with calcium and Vitamin D making it unusable. Soaking them in water for a while before cooking will neutralize the phytic acid content.