Need Vitamin D sources

[carolg]

My daughter's natural dr. called and told her that Vitamin D is very low and recommended sunshine. What foods can she eat or take what to increase that? I don't know test that determined that or any further details.

Thanks.
carolg

[queenfluff]

I believe the only "food" sources of Vitamin D are meat and milk. No veggie/fruits. Salmon, shrimp, cow's milk, egg, cod.

You can get the daily dosage of Vitamin D by just sticking your hand in the sun for 15 minutes. What is wrong with the sunshine?

It is free and good for you.

[carolg]

Sunshine for sure good for here. She's trying to go more vegan, but hoping she decides to add more raw when she is feeling better from Crohn's and IBD.

Thanks for reply.

carolg

[EZ rider]

Shiitake is one of a few known natural sources of vegan vitamin D.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake_mashrooms#Medicinal_use

Read under the "Medicinal use" heading.

[Eva]

Sunshine should do the trick -- more antioxidants will help protect her skin from the harmful effects of the sun (which is really just harmful because it is baking the toxins into our skin -- the ones we have taken in).

NO sunscreen when she is out there, either. Tell her to just take a walk for 15+ minutes per day, and she will not need to look for anything else. Mmmm, why not have a lovely berry banana smoothie, then take a lovely walk!? Problem solved.

It's like -- plants -- they need the sun. They DIE if they can't suck in the sun's rays. For us, too, it's necessary to soak in the sun's rays for its life-giving properties.

[Zaphirah]

I just love learning here at RFT. I love the wisdom that washes over. Ahhh! :)

[carolg]

Thanks all. Strangely she gets out in sun often and also loves berry smoothies, but not green smoothies. I will pass on your information.

carolg

[Zaphirah]

is there anything that facilitates Vit D absorption? Like, don't you need Vit C for iron absorption? and doesn't caffeine inhibit Vit D....


or am I way off? :o :confused:

[rawnhealthy]

Sun rays are received through the eyes- the whole area surrounding the eyes- so make sure if she is going out in the sun go before noon in particular, expose as much as possible to sunlight and don't wear lotion or Sunglasses.....and of course GREEN SMOOTHIES. lol:D

[Eva]

Actually, Zaphirah... that is a good reminder to dig deeper. Here is what I found.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means fat is necessary for its assimilation.

I just did some reading in a reference book I have (Healing with Whole Foods), and it's actually recommended that at LEAST 20% of the skin be exposed to the sun for at LEAST 20% on average per day. So people who work indoors during the day should spend several hours outside at least once a week when they are not working.

[raweater]

I believe the only "food" sources of Vitamin D are meat and milk. No veggie/fruits. Salmon, shrimp, cow's milk, egg, cod.

You can get the daily dosage of Vitamin D by just sticking your hand in the sun for 15 minutes. What is wrong with the sunshine?

It is free and good for you.

It's important to understand the vitamin RDA values are fraudulently low to keep people sick, for example they say you need 60 mg of vitamin C per day, that's barely enough to prevent scurvy, but not enough to prevent other diseases like cancer. The science on the other hand shows we need 500-1000 mg of vitamin C per day. The same is true with all other vitamins, we need far far more than the RDA says. There is one exception which is calcium, that one is fraudulently high, to push the "need" for dairy products onto gullible consumers. So the RDA should be entirely ignored as it's made to keep people sick.

So yes, according to the RDA having your hand in the sun for 15 minutes may be enough, but in reality you need almost your entire body exposed for well over 30 minutes every day. You also cannot get emough vitamin D through food no matter what you eat, it's impossible, we're made to get it from the sun. If you can't get enough from the sun they recommend taking supplements, but if you take supplements there's a risk of overdose which is very dangerous, so you must have your levels tested (by a doctor that knows the RDA is fraudulent).

[raweater]

Sunshine for sure good for here. She's trying to go more vegan, but hoping she decides to add more raw when she is feeling better from Crohn's and IBD.

Thanks for reply.

carolg

I used to have Crohn's when I was gullible enough to believe doctors and suffered as much as getting a gun shot in the stomach. If she's not yet willing to go raw, read about the SCD diet, it is a diet that cures crohn's but is far from being as strict as raw, mainly, it says to eliminate grains, sugar and dairy. On another raw forum one person had crohn's and was still suffering from it on raw, I asked he she ate a lot of sugar rich foods like dates and she said yes, I recommended to eat less or none and after doing that the disease was cured, so it's important to know that simply going raw isn't going to do it, there are bad things in the raw diet too, not all foods are made for humans to consume whether they are raw or not, and some are more sensitive to certain things than others.

[supergreen]

I believe the only "food" sources of Vitamin D are meat and milk. No veggie/fruits. Salmon, shrimp, cow's milk, egg, cod.

You can get the daily dosage of Vitamin D by just sticking your hand in the sun for 15 minutes. What is wrong with the sunshine?

It is free and good for you.

But the RDA for Vitamin D is pretty darn low. And in a lot of places you just can't get it in the winter.

I know it's not raw but a Vitamin D supplement is really cheap, and it's probably one of the most important things a raw vegan might be deficient it. You can get a bottle of 120 caps each with 2000 IU, which is well over the RDA for less than $10. If you're willing to go that route it's a no-brainer. Be sure to get D3 though. The other kinds (D2) aren't nearly as good.

[supergreen]

But the RDA for Vitamin D is pretty darn low. And in a lot of places you just can't get it in the winter.

I know it's not raw but a Vitamin D supplement is really cheap, and it's probably one of the most important things a raw vegan might be deficient it. You can get a bottle of 120 caps each with 2000 IU, which is well over the RDA for less than $10. If you're willing to go that route it's a no-brainer. Be sure to get D3 though. The other kinds (D2) aren't nearly as good.

By the way my physiatrist(you can look up what that is) had me on 10,000 IU per day. I had no negative effects that I noticed. I think overdosing on Vitamin D would be really hard.

[juliebove]

I am giving my daughter supplements. She just hasn't gotten much sunshine this summer and we've had plenty of cloudy days lately.

[queenfluff]

It's important to understand the vitamin RDA values are fraudulently low to keep people sick, for example they say you need 60 mg of vitamin C per day, that's barely enough to prevent scurvy, but not enough to prevent other diseases like cancer. The science on the other hand shows we need 500-1000 mg of vitamin C per day. The same is true with all other vitamins, we need far far more than the RDA says. There is one exception which is calcium, that one is fraudulently high, to push the "need" for dairy products onto gullible consumers. So the RDA should be entirely ignored as it's made to keep people sick.

So yes, according to the RDA having your hand in the sun for 15 minutes may be enough, but in reality you need almost your entire body exposed for well over 30 minutes every day. You also cannot get emough vitamin D through food no matter what you eat, it's impossible, we're made to get it from the sun. If you can't get enough from the sun they recommend taking supplements, but if you take supplements there's a risk of overdose which is very dangerous, so you must have your levels tested (by a doctor that knows the RDA is fraudulent).

I didn't say my info was from the RDA. I got my info about the sun from David Wolfe not the RDA. I don't listen to the RDA. I agree it is better to exposure your whole bod - but if you can't on some days, at least you can absorb the Vit D you need by sticking your hand outside the car window or something.

[supergreen]

I didn't say my info was from the RDA. I got my info about the sun from David Wolfe not the RDA. I don't listen to the RDA. I agree it is better to exposure your whole bod - but if you can't on some days, at least you can absorb the Vit D you need by sticking your hand outside the car window or something.

But in temperate latitudes in winter you won't get much if any benefit from doing this. The sun is just too low. Or even in the summer if you're not out in the hours around noon, then it's the same problem.

[carolg]

Wow, learning lots and appreciate all opinions here. Thanks all for being transparent.

carolg

[Eva]

Speaking of transparent -- I remember seeing a swimsuit a ways back that would let the sun's rays through it for tanning. Seems like this would be a great solution!

I went out to Margit Sziget today (an island on the Danube River that is easily accessible and is devoted to leisure and sport activities) to study in the sun and wore less clothes than I usually would (i.e. running shorts rather than jeans or a long skirt) since I was thinking of the sun and the D vitamin. :)

[Eva]

Ha, when I was looking for the no-tan-line clothing, I found this article: http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2008/06/05/coverstory.html Haha, made me laugh.

But seriously, I found this company that sells shirts and whathaveyou that let sunlight through. Pretty cool. Too bad everyone came straight from the 1980s on their site, though! http://www.tanthrough.com/shirtafct.htm

[queenfluff]

But in temperate latitudes in winter you won't get much if any benefit from doing this. The sun is just too low. Or even in the summer if you're not out in the hours around noon, then it's the same problem.

No argument there. It isn't my advice. It is from David Wolfe - I am just passing it on. I am not an expert on the subject and not here to debate about it.

[carolg]

I think a thin top would do it from the Gap or Old Navy. The clothing link had nice clothes but beyond my budget to tan. Of course a choice. Great marketing idea however.

carolg

[Eva]

I think a thin top would do it from the Gap or Old Navy. The clothing link had nice clothes but beyond my budget to tan. Of course a choice. Great marketing idea however.

carolg

The thought wasn't to tan but to allow the sun's rays through clothing (for Vitamin D). I could be wrong, but I don't think regular shirts, even thin ones, allow the sun's rays.

Funny, I find that I really don't pick up a tan as I used to, so I don't really have much in the way of tan lines anyhow... I also don't get burned at the beginning of the season. And I stopped wearing sunscreen, so it's kind of neat considering that I did get burned before unless I was wearing SPF 15+. I remember being super dark when I was younger too.

It's all those blueberries, I tell ya.

[rawstrength]

I love the sun. I try to expose myself to it as much as I can everyday. I also gaze at the sun in the early mornings and evenings. It does a body good :D .
Even in winter here in the Northeast U.S. I can still benefit from the sun. Sun gazing helps us keep our circadian rhythms aligned. Plus it feels good. You really can absorb a lot of sun through your eyes. How do I know this? Through experience, the best teacher, not through some silly RDA suggestions or the advice of David Wolfe.

[Eva]

Rawstrength -- or anyone else -- do you know anything about doing this with contact lenses in?

I did stop wearing sunglasses this year as well, and I notice that my eyes are no longer sensitive to the sun. Which is funny because they used to be VERY sensitive to the sun, with or without contact lenses. I have very blue eyes and very bad vision, so I thought it was because of that. The only big change is the raw food! :)