Photo taken from my trip to St. Barth’s
You might be wondering why I’m dedicating an entire post to Vitamin D. It’s because most of us underestimate how much vitamin D we get or actually need. Also, I unfortunately learned about a friend who is my age that got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, so I felt it was my duty to inform people of what I know about preventing or stopping it from progressing, as well other diseases that can result from being vitamin D deficient. My friend is way too young to be acquiring this debilitating disease, and to her knowledge, no one in her family has ever been diagnosed with it. For others who have been affected by this particular disease, genetics is certainly a factor, but if not in my friend’s case, then what was the cause? Researchers are discovering that people who live closer to the equator are reporting little or no known cases of multiple sclerosis. But why is that? It’s because they’re getting ample amounts of UVB rays or Vitamin D3 from the sun! I first learned about this correlation from my Herbalist, Daniela Turley. Vitamin D is so vital to our immune systems and has an influence on preventing or treating auto-immune diseases. I want to preface that autoimmune diseases occur when there is too much inflammation in our body for it to fight off. Our bodies are smart and t’s protocol is to always heal itself, but when it recognizes that there is an intruder trying to compromise it, it will do everything it can to keep it healthy. However, if your body isn’t being fed the right amount of foods and vitamins it needs, then it cannot optimally operate to maintain and protect itself.
Most of us in the United States spend our time indoors, especially during the Fall and Winter months. And if you work a 9 to 5 job, you’re definitely spending less time in the sun. The average amount of vitamin D one should be getting is at least 3,000 IUs (units) per day, and personally, I take 5,000 IUs. However, if you want to know the right amount to take for you, you’re able to find out at GrassrootsHealth, which will show you a chart of how much vitamin D the average adult needs per day. Or you can find out by taking a blood test with your primary care physician. Aside from preventing or stopping you from acquiring autoimmune disease, here are a few more reasons why vitamin D is so crucial for our bodies:
- Fights off the common cold or flu
- Maintains cell growth and fights off cancer
- Reduces hypertension, heart attacks and strokes
One last thing to note is that if you’re increasing your dosage of vitamin D, make sure to pair with more amounts of vitamin K2. These are proteins that move calcium into your body that needs it the most. When enough K2 isn’t present in your body, it can create a build up of calcium where it shouldn’t be, like your arteries. Lastly, Vitamin K2 is important for bone and heart health, so make sure to eat eggs or include ghee into your daily diet.
The brand of vitamin D3 that I like taking is in liquid form by Thorne Research
Please share this post with all of your loved ones, because many of us are unaware that we are lacking this vital nutrient from our diet.
Naturally,
Nadine
#naturalnadine #NNcertified #holisticinfluencer