Did you know that you were sort of, kind of, like a daisy?
Not just a daisy, but pretty much like any kind of plant. The ability to utilize and metabolize sunlight (and the resulting Vitamin D) isn’t just the territory of plants. Human beings can do it too! And not only can we do it, but we need to do it too for our health and well being.
You can get Vitamin D from the foods you eat. Deep cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel or fish oils are terrific sources. So are mushrooms, beef liver and Swiss cheese. But being out and about on a sunny day, soaking up all those vitamins for free is a very cool idea.
The complex alchemy by which we transform the rays of el sol to Vitamin D has far-reaching effects that keep us strong and disease free. A series of chemical reactions when sunlight hits our skin involving enzymes in the liver and kidneys is responsible for it all. (Read more.)
Remember too for all this to work you need some sunscreen free skin to come in contact with the sun’s rays. It doesn’t take much, and it doesn’t take too long either. Articles I’ve read say somewhere in the vicinity of 10 minutes or so—depending on where you live and how fair your skin is. You don’t have to channel your inner Lady Godiva either. Baring your arms or legs for a bit works just fine.
Most are aware of the link between sufficient Vitamin D and bone health and strength. Health providers more frequently test women for adequate levels of the vitamin. Here in the Northeast where sun is weak and grey skies frequent, I and many of my women friends are taking supplements to ensure our supplies are adequate to prevent osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Since Vitamin D is fat-soluble and can be stored in the body, there is a risk of overdose. Since the sunlight that helps us make Vitamin D also helps to break it down in the body, there’s a very small danger of overdoing it, except perhaps through over supplementation. Signs of overdose are: nausea, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite, heart rhythm abnormalities, and an increased risk of kidney stones
Besides bone health, sunlight is good for us in many, many other ways. Here’s just a few:
- Exposure to sunlight may aid in the prevention of cancers especially breast and colon.
- Alzheimer’s patients experience less agitation, and nighttime wakefulness when exposed to full-spectrum light during the day and full darkness at night. As a matter of fact, sunlight exposure during regular waking hours increases sleep-inducing melatonin as the sun sets resulting in better quality sleep for all.
- Sunlight may reduce the risk of developing MS, particularly if exposure happens in the first two decades of life.
- It helps to clear psoriasis.
- Sunlight is a mood elevator. The brain produces more serotonin on sunny days than cloudy ones…..and this is a surprise???
So with summer in full swing, get out there and catch some rays. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.
