Yes, the illustrious “D”. Sounds like a cool band name huh? The Illustrious D!!! ….hmmm. But alas, we aren’t talking about band names, or whatever “D” you were thinking of when you read that title (get your mind out of the…wherever you left it). That is, unless you were thinking about the oh so important and ever necessary Vitamin D. Now, I know that you know that you need vitamin D. But do you know exactly how important it is?
Let me ask a quick question. Do you or anyone you know, have bow legs, scoliosis or thick ankles/wrists? If the answer to that is yes, read on. If you answered no, read on anyway.
I ain’t write this for nothin’.
It was once thought that a bow-legged child was at one time what we used to call, a “hip baby” or a baby that was always held at the hip, causing the child to use their legs to hold to whomever was holding them thus causing bowed legs. But this isn’t necessarily the case. We now know that the disease of bow legs, abnormal spine curvature and thick joints is due to the extreme deficiency of vitamin D also known as Rickets.
“Rickets, is the softening and weakening of bones in children, usually because of an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency”1. Now, you may be thinking, okay they’ve got weak bones so… they need more calcium right? Wrong. This is where you learn why the “D” is so important. Calcium, also known as vitamin K is worthless without Vitamin D. You need vitamin D to facilitate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which takes place in the gastrointestinal track.
So now you know why you need vitamin D. So where do you get it? Well, your body was made so awesomely it can produce what you need. You just need to be outside in direct sunlight with an adequate amount of skin showing for around 10-15 minutes for light complexions and for us beautiful more melanin enriched persons, up to 30 minutes a day.
If you happen to live in a cloudy overcast environment or it’s too cold to be outside during certain times of the year, you can supplement with an over-the-counter vitamins or eat vitamin D fortified foods. If you do happen to take a pill or capsule, remember to take it with fatty food. Vitamins D and K are fat soluble vitamins as in they only dissolve in a fat. That’s why you usually see vitamin D and calcium added to dairy products.
If you don’t eat dairy, no need to fear! You can take your supplement with a fatty veggie food, like nuts or nut milk. Personally, I like avocados or salads with a drizzle of oil. You can get plenty of calcium from dark leafy greens as was mentioned in my last post “Mineral Madness” (be sure to check that out). There are several links to some helpful information as well as a list of some vegetables to help you get started. As always, don’t take my word for it. Research it yourself.
Happy eating!
Just a few references & Resource links:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rickets/symptoms-causes/syc-20351943
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613455/
