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Someone I love taking her vitamin D
In the news today was a report that our children are being shortchanged on their Vitamin D.
At least one in five U.S. children aged 1 to 11 don’t get enough vitamin D…
By a looser measure, almost 90 percent of black children that age and 80 percent of Hispanic kids could be vitamin D deficient…
Children can get 400 units daily by drinking four cups of fortified milk, or eating lots of fish, but many don’t do that…
According to my research, vitamin D is best assimilated from exposure to the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM (yes, that’s right…the very hours we’ve been warned against) for 20-120 minutes, depending on skin color. This article explains the importance of those hours to maximize vitamin D intake while minimizing exposure. You can, with few exceptions, get the vitamin D you need from sunlight exposure. If you live in a cloudy area, or are experiencing a rainy season, you might need to supplement your diet with foods high in vitamin D.
Cod Liver Oil is an excellent source of vitamin D. Relax, there are finally good alternatives to taking it off a spoon the way they did in your mother’s time. I take a combination of fermented cod liver oil and butter oil in a capsule which provides 90% DV. I never taste it.
Food sources high in vitamin D include fish, specifically: salmon and mackerel (very good sources), sardines (good) and tuna (moderate). But, if the fish has had no exposure to sunlight, his body can’t generate the vitamin D that you consume when you eat him. So, you need to consider farmed fish as virtually useless when it comes to providing vitamin D.
As for “fortified” milk? Sure, putting vitamins in might seem like a good thing. But some synthetics added to food are barely touched by our bodies because they aren’t in a usable form. Much better to get the kids out in the sunshine, eat wild fish from time to time and drink good, healthy, raw, A2 milk. Not only will this provide your children the vitamin D they need, it will encourage them to exercise and enjoy good tasting food.
This post is part of the Natural Cures Carnival at Hartkeisonline.
Cabinet by newrachael, on Flickr
(NOT my cabinet above)
I have a real fondness for carbs. The mere smell of toast is enough to put me in a feeding frenzy. The thought of honey in my coffee makes my mouth water. Pasta, bread, potatoes or rice: now that’s a sound architectural base for a filling meal.
Back, oh, six years ago now, I lost a few pounds on the South Beach diet. But it was a struggle and I didn’t enjoy the food. (This was before I started using real foods like butter and cream and raw milk.) And as soon as “diet time” was over, the pounds packed right back on. I guess you could say I’m one of those that probably needs to lay off the carbs permanently. I’m also quite an addict: one piece of toast today leads to two tomorrow, etc.
But, for the last couple weeks I’ve been playing at low carbing my diet. Nothing extreme or regimented, just making different choices. My normal breakfast has been a couple eggs fried sunny side up in coconut oil. It’s the right size and usually keeps me from getting hungry again before lunch. Yesterday when the kids made sloppy joes for lunch, I had my meat in a bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche instead of on a bun. Delicious! And the Chicken Fettucini Alfredo my daughter made for dinner a few days ago tasted just right over broccoli instead of noodles.
I’ve been kind of keeping track of my total carbohydrate count for this most recent visit to Low Carb-land. I’ve been averaging less than 100 grams, some days slightly higher, but most days significantly less. Yesterday, for example, I was at about 50, even after a serving of my daughter’s homemade ice cream.
I haven’t seen a single pound drop and my clothes aren’t fitting differently so far. I do have a fairly good energy level and haven’t needed quite as many midday cups of coffee. After seeing Fathead, (yes, Kelly, Netflix finally found a copy for me) I’m convinced that even if I never lose an ounce I’m on the right track. So, I’m going to stick to it and not expect any weight loss. I’ll be doing my body a favor, even if it never does my wardrobe any favors back.
