Vitamin D Good! Sunscreen bad!
Our society is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of appropriate vitamin D levels, especially for pregnant women and children. Vitamin D affects crucial systems in your body, impacting immunity and cellular activity, as well as bone formation and brain function. Vitamin D helps to prevent cancer and is necessary for your body to absorb and use calcium. Vitamin D is crucial to fetal development, especially brain development. Vitamin D is vital to our health and our children's developing bodies for more reasons than I can give here.
The best source for vitamin D is sunlight. Our habits of avoiding the sun and using copious amounts of (chemically laden) sunscreen have not improved our health, and has kept us from absorbing this most essential of nutrients. Ironically, many sunscreens themselves presents cancer risks. Spending a minimum of 20 minutes daily in direct sunshine (no sunscreen) with limbs exposed is a health tonic! Does sunshine cause cancer? I'll let you battle that controversy for yourself...suffice it to say that LACK of sunshine has certainly been shown to cause cancer. And sunscreen isn't the benign shield we've been led to believe. If you are concerned about sunburn or over-exposure, just cover up after your healthful sunbathing. Hats and lightweight long sleeves make great sun shields.
Other good sources of vitamin D include Real Foods rich in the vitamin, such as pastured eggs, oysters, liver, and grass-fed raw butter. Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin D, as is lard from pastured pigs. Remember, source is everything...the animal products that you hope will nourish you are only as good as their feed and sun exposure. Confined, primarily grain-based, GMO-fed animals will not only keep you malnourished, but they will damage your health.
To better understand how much vitamin D you need and why, please peruse the following information, including a link to a home test for determining your vitamin D levels:
Vitamin D: How Much and What Are the Benefits?
Vitamin D Deficiency Research Articles
Vitamin D Deficiency During Pregnancy
Vitamin D Requirements During Pregnancy
Home Test for Vitamin D Deficiency