Now Is The Time For Vitamin D (and my real food journey)
Originally published in January of 2011.
The view from our living room window right now is rather white and cold (and apparently damp). Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy the cold weather and the snow. But we’re not exactly spending hours outside every day and we’re starting to feel just a bit off.
Which is why right about now is when we tend to fall prey to the latest bug or feel the winter blues. We have probably worn down any vitamin stores since we aren’t replenishing them fast enough. One thing that I find works well for our family is making sure we’re taking in a lot of vitamin D.
Generally speaking we take fermented cod liver oil which has a good amount of both vitamins A & D. Now would be a good time to step up your dose. Unfortunately I am not as consistent in taking it as I ought to be and when that happens sometimes you have to take a high therapeutic dose.
Which is where supplements come in. Food-based supplements are the best choice, obviously, which is why cod liver oil is so great. But if you happen to be feeling a cold or flu coming on then taking high doses of vitamin D through a good quality vitamin D3 supplement is what we do.
My Real Food Journey
Speaking of real food… Nicole asked if me if I would share my real food journey over at Simple Organic. I am always interested in other people’s stories so I thought I would share my own:
I have a theory about real food: people are either born into it or they find it out of illness and desperation. I fall into the latter category.
My real food journey details my personal health struggles and the paradigm shift that has to occur in order to embrace God’s natural, sustainable design for food.
I’d love to hear your real food journey or thoughts on vitamin D right now.
What’s helping me right now (I had it BAD last week) is my Cod Liver Oil and a melatonin supplement. I can’t imagine artificial hormone pills are great so far as a whole food diet goes, but they make an absolutely staggering difference in the way I feel. I think my biggest problem this time of year is lack of sleep, because no matter how much I exercise or how tired I think I am during the day, night rolls around and I am WIDE awake. I’m certain it has something to do with the level of sunlight I am being exposed to, and I’m working on going outside more, but MAN I hate cold weather. Normally I try not to take melatonin more than two nights in a row, but at the moment I’m letting myself take it as needed.
I should probably try some kava kava instead- I think my inability to sleep is anxiety related.
Brandis – Ugh. Sleep troubles are so frustrating. How is your mineral intake? I believe it is magnesium that can have a big effect on sleep. Also I find an earlier bed time is necessary since I struggle with adrenal fatigue. Later at night (10 or so) your cortisol levels shift again with adrenal fatigue and that can actually make you unable to sleep (in my experience).
Be careful of getting your Vit D from cod liver oil as I’ve read in several places that the high Vit A in it greatly reduces the effectiveness of Vit D as they share receptors.
You should consider indoor tanning during the winter. Each minute in a tanning bed naturally produces approx 1000 IUs of Vit D. Plus it releases endorphins and other bioproducts that promote a feeling of wellness. There is no recorded case of anyone reaching Vit D toxicity from natural or man-made sunlight due to an internal check and balance system.
Remember, skin cancer kills around 11,000 Americans, most of whom have never been in a tanning bed. Conditions that appear to be associated with low sunlight/low Vit D kill more than a million Americans each year. Use a bed, but use your head.
Brandis … I find sipping on chamomile tea helps, and writing down all my worries, what I think is unfinished business for the day, or whatever comes up. It gives my thoughts a place to rest. And the chamo tea is very soothing, as I am a high wired nervous type. I just turned 49 and am in the midst of that peri-menopause journey. I’ve had to increase my b vitamins which helps tremendously. Been using a liquid b source, Max Stress B by Premier Research Labs. Just a few of many changes I’ve made. And sometimes I just need to practice breathing deeply and letting go. Oh the journey! You’ll discover what works best for you!
I think everyone has to go through their own trial and error with D supplements. As for Vitamin A, I don’t think we hear about too many toxic cases of that either. With everything, YMMV. There is some ideal combination of A, D, and K in order for all the nutrients to be absorbed. Sunlight plays a role. In the Northern Hemisphere, there no possible way to get enough sunlight in winter. The angle of the sun isn’t right. The WAPF people say that CLO provides everything you need if you take it with high vitamin butter or butter oil. They discourage D supplementation. My mother grew up in Winnipeg and the only thing that kept colds at bay was daily CLO. She grew up on a farm so her butter was raw and grass-fed. There’s a Vitamin D Action network that provides mail order D testing so you know if you are deficient. The last time I did it, I was at the low level of OK (my term).
Right now I’m giving my kids Carlson CLO + vitamin D capsules. It is probably not ideal. They need omega-3 from the CLO in addition to the A&D. I am also trying to cook more with pastured lard, which is another source of vitaminD.
ValerieH – Excellent point about the lard. And in this colder weather some (extra) good fats are certainly in order.
Get Some Sun you are right on! All of the research I have done on Vitamin D and A combos tell me that the A and D in combo is not a good thing. I subscribe to the Vitamin D Council’s newsletter. A very good source of information for anyone wanting to learn about vitamin D. Go to The Vitamin D Council’s website, Dr John Cannell, MD will tell you all sides of the studies, good info and worth your time. I have taken vitamin D for years and have no health problems, I don’t get colds or flu or any thing else that the normal public gets. I also eat good healthy food and exercise. But the vitamin D is very important for your immune system and bones. I also have a stand up tanning unit that is equipped with two walls of UVB bulbs and one of UVA bulbs, the UVB is the basic vitamin D source. Of course natural sun light is the very best source. I don’t buy into the cod liver oil or fish oil as a good source for vitamin D, I believe that vitamin D should be a stand alone supplement. Vitamin D should always be taken with food for it to simulate in your system properly. I have been in alternative medicine for over 30 years and it has served me well. Shannon thank you so much for covering vitamin D it is such an important vitamin for good health, but it must be vitamin D3. Thanks for letting me air my views. Keep up the good work and may good health always be yours.
Do ANY (commercial) tanning beds ensure Vitamin D?
I didn’t know that.
I have been taking Vitamin D3 for quite some time and I just lately started taking Vitamin A and hadn’t heard that they shouldn’t be taken at the same time.
Thanks for the info.
After several years of supplementation with CLO, my D levels were still very low, so I now supplement that with a quality D3. For me personally, it takes 6000 to 8000 IU daily to keep my levels where they should be. I had just been reading recently on Mercola’s site about tanning for vitamin D. Haven’t yet found a local tanning parlor with the EMF-free tanning beds, though. If I do, I will be trying that route. Several years ago, I had to go to a tanning bed to help with an autoimmune skin disorder (PLEVA) and it had the nice side effect of making me just plain feel good. I did not know I had low vitamin D levels at the time, but my mood was certainly improved those months (which happened to be in fall and winter.
When I’m feeling like I’m getting sick, I’ll raised my D3 dose to 10,000 IU temporarily.
Sorry, posted a comment not realizing this was an old blog post.
FCLO is spendy, so we found a way to make it stretch, even though we still take a higher dose of it in winter.
Twin Labs D Dots have been the perfect answer for us. They go under the tongue, taste good and the cost is super low.
Depending on the day, I take 2-4 dots.
Love your story 🙂 Mine is similar in a lot of areas, right down to the hypothyroidism and the stress surrounding a first newborn and complete lack of health and good information.
I love Vit. D: I’m happiest with around 15,000iu daily (‘way over the “legal limit” LOL!), but my teeth & bones suffered from a chemical assault, so I’m making up for it 🙂 YHWH is good. His tools in His design are good, and so much more merciful than the sanitized mess people have built.
Love seeing you learning to walk in the Ancient Paths, Mama. May YHWH bless you and the generations after you with “rest for your souls.”
B’Shalom,
–Leavesheal.