Where do you get your Vitamin D?

[Raene]

I refuse to take a multi, but I'm open to taking a vegan Vitamin D. However, I can't find any other than VegLife brand and it has a ton of Vitamin A, of which I already practically overdose. Can you get too much A?
If so, I'd like to find another vegan brand. From what I've read, Vitamin D3 is always lanolin based and D2 is always vegan. I just can't seem to find any D2s. Thanks

[snoops]

You want to be taking the D3's not the D2's. Sorry I cant tell you why, I have just read that the D3's have the available vitamin and not the 2's.

I went to a naturopath the other day who told me that with my family history of cancer I should be supplementing 2000 IU of D3. I have been taking 800 IU and trying to get in the sun each day but its fall now and my skin wont see much sun for 6 months in this climate(I'm in Calgary). So I'm going to go up to 2000 IU for the winter.

[Raene]

You want to be taking the D3's not the D2's. Sorry I cant tell you why, I have just read that the D3's have the available vitamin and not the 2's.

I went to a naturopath the other day who told me that with my family history of cancer I should be supplementing 2000 IU of D3. I have been taking 800 IU and trying to get in the sun each day but its fall now and my skin wont see much sun for 6 months in this climate(I'm in Calgary). So I'm going to go up to 2000 IU for the winter.

I don't consume lanolin. Yucky. I've read mixed articles...some studies show that D2 IS as effective as D3. I've also read I only need 400IUs...I don't want to do more than that as I could be pregnant.

[Riiiya]

i caputure and absorb this wonderful "vitamin' from the big yellow shiny thing in the sky ;)

even in the winter- I try to get exposed to the sun for some time but it's definitely not enough..hmm now i'm wondering about vit. D supplements as well!

[Tea]

Sunflower greens have vitamin D I've heard. I sprout them in soil weekly and especially through the winter and they are delicious.

[Raene]

i caputure and absorb this wonderful "vitamin' from the big yellow shiny thing in the sky ;)

even in the winter- I try to get exposed to the sun for some time but it's definitely not enough..hmm now i'm wondering about vit. D supplements as well!

I live in the 2nd cloudiest place in the country :(

[RawHeaven]

The Sun.

And whatever foods that I'm eating that provide it.

[snoops]

My D3 supplements list the non medicinal ingredients as cellulose and vegetable grade magnesium stearate. Going to look up magnesium stearate now. LOL. I use Webber Naturals.

I have heard that you cannot get vitamin D in any foods, only from the sun and the winter here makes that impossible.

[snoops]

When used as a filling agent in the manufacture of capsules and tablets, such as vitamins, the source of this ingredient is typically bovine. However, there is an increasing number of vegetarian options in which the product specifically indicates it contains magnesium stearate from vegetable sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_stearate

I don't like taking supplements but the more I read the more I think those of us living in the north need vitamin D.

[Riiiya]

I live in the 2nd cloudiest place in the country :(

:( uum

i'm trying to remember though.. vit. D- doesn't it get produced with the help of those particular rays that go through clouds? i'll have to look that up
UPDATE: from the info i find online, ultraviolet rays still get through on cloudy days, but it takes you longer to absorb vit. D this way.. so it'd take more time out in the sun I suppose

[snoops]

Complete cloud cover reduces UV energy by 50%; shade (including that produced by severe pollution) reduces it by 60%

vitamin D3 is manufactured by the irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol from lanolin and the chemical conversion of cholesterol [11]. The two forms have traditionally been regarded as equivalent based on their ability to cure rickets, but evidence has been offered that they are metabolized differently. Vitamin D3 could be more than three times as effective as vitamin D2 in raising serum 25(OH)D concentrations and maintaining those levels for a longer time, and its metabolites have superior affinity for vitamin D-binding proteins in plasma

source:http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

I see where the lanolin comes from. Also discusses the effectiveness of D3 compared to D2 as well as the cloud cover issue.

[lafsalot]

In addition to the sun, another largely unrecogonized source of vitamin D is in mushrooms. They also provide a good source for potassium, antioxidants such as selenium, potassium, copper, B vitamins, riboflaving, niacin, etc. ~ Cathy

[Riiiya]

that's interesting about mushrooms..

but then again- the store-bought mushrooms are basically vehicles for MOOOLD :(

[lafsalot]

that's interesting about mushrooms..

but then again- the store-bought mushrooms are basically vehicles for MOOOLD :(

Really? You sure you're not mistaking the white powdery, fuzzy stuff on mushrooms (which is actually mushroom spores) for mold? The "rooms will do this (start to reproduce) if they've been at your grocers for a while, but are still safe to eat.

Best way to tell if they're in fact bad, is when they start smelling sour (like rotting veggies), go soft, and sag. ~ Cathy

[debilana]

I live in Seattle- is that the first most cloudy? :D

I wonder what my d levels are like- I have not had milk in years. Is there a way to know/test?

[Raene]

that's interesting about mushrooms..

but then again- the store-bought mushrooms are basically vehicles for MOOOLD :(

I thought this was only true about sprouts?

[tammay]

This is actually a huge concern of mine because the women in my family have a history of problems absorbing Vit D. My grandmother has osteoporosis so bad that it's "off the charts" as my mom would say. My mom has a few discs in her back that are preosteo so she's watching it.

Will staying raw help me with absorbing vitamins like this? I do take a Vit D supplement.

Tam

[Riiiya]

Really? You sure you're not mistaking the white powdery, fuzzy stuff on mushrooms (which is actually mushroom spores) for mold? The "rooms will do this (start to reproduce) if they've been at your grocers for a while, but are still safe to eat.

Best way to tell if they're in fact bad, is when they start smelling sour (like rotting veggies), go soft, and sag. ~ Cathy


Well i'm just quoting Dr. Gabriel Cousin's on this- from his book that's one of the point i took. That all store-bought mushrooms are really moldy even though you might not see it

[coco]

i don't know about that, there is a local mushroom grower here and it only takes two weeks for them to grow so... i figure that they are pretty fresh! they look and smell fantastic when i see them in the store.

[JEN]

I dont do vitamins but I did see this recently in my local hfs

http://www.thevitamincode.com/Home/tabid/1258/Default.aspx.

[Riiiya]

i don't know about that, there is a local mushroom grower here and it only takes two weeks for them to grow so... i figure that they are pretty fresh! they look and smell fantastic when i see them in the store.

that's great! well perhaps my reference was to those store-bought that are shipped from somewhere far

[rawstrength]

Nettles are a source of vitamin D.
In the summer I get my vitamin D from the sun and in the winter I put nettle powder in my smoothies.

[Raene]

Nettles are a source of vitamin D.
In the summer I get my vitamin D from the sun and in the winter I put nettle powder in my smoothies.

Great to know; thanks! I drink nettle tea every morning but have never had fresh ones.

[Bananna]

I go to tanning beds...

http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/G_eneral_H_ealth_34/022202272008_Tanning_beds_help_vitamin_D_deficienc y.shtml

[kaybee]

corn salad aka "mache" might also be known as lambs quarters too not sure
anyway supposedly has vitamin d--and ironically enough prefers low light low temperature. so grow some this winter. even grows through snow

also, my book on vegetarian dogs and making vegetarian dog food says you have to include alfalfa hay because it contains vitamin D...so MAYBE alfalfa tablets too, if that book is correct.


all i know though is that despite getting sun, when i do energy scanning with my bottle of vitamin D (which is probably not vegan though, which stinks), my body gives a clear YES to it...

[Raene]

Ooh, I've heard such scary things about tanning beds. The one time I went to one I was on birth control pills and didn't realize they make you more sensitive to burning...I had a bright red bum for several weeks!

[rawstrength]

I think the dried nettles in the form of tea are just as effective as the fresh ones.

[Teraw]

Get in the sun daily. I can't remember where I read it, but if you are 100% you should have 15-30 mins of direct sunlight daily. I also read to not wear shades and sunscreen. Let the light enter you eyes ( I didn't say look directly at the sun, lol) and detox your skin. I also read that the sun helps to release the toxins in your skin. When people are on the S.A.D they have so many toxins in their skin that the sun causes a chemical reaction to the toxins, and that is what they call sunburn. Tah-dah!:D

[Raw Angel Mom]

I have heard that full spectrum light works great. But i recommend to do research first. I am considering to buy one.

Now, i cannot find any D2 here, but perhaps, anyone has a link where i can order that?

[kaybee]

if were supposed to let the sun enter our eyes, does anyone know if wearing contact lenses that have UV protection would interfere with that ? i wear them every day. i mean, does the sun have to enter our pupils ,or is the whites good enough. i am on vitamin D supplments, and my body seems to want more of teh supplements, and I DO get out in the sun , but we have had a rainy cloudy summer
thanks

kaybee

[Bananna]

I stand by tanning beds, lol.