Sunshine! We don’t get enough of it. We work inside and many play inside, going to a gym for their exercise. Vitamin D is essential to your health and research suggests that proper Vitamin D levels can reduce your risk of many illnesses and death of ANY cause. From A to Z diseases like allergies, Alzheimer’s, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, colds, dementia, depression, flu, infections, MS, stroke all benefit from good ole sunshine.
Sunshine is natural, free and we don’t even have to pay taxes for it so we should take advantage of it every day. Fifteen or twenty minutes of sunshine in the middle of the day, without sunscreen, is what we need to get enough vitamin D to stay healthy. Yes, those sunscreen companies tell you to put on sunscreen like you brush your teeth every day, but sunscreen blocks the “good” rays from even getting to our skin and most of them have cancer causing ingredients. Shea butter and coconut oil both have sunscreen properties and are the cleanest, healthiest moisturizers.
Your doctor will tell you to take a pill. That is what they say for everything, but there is no substitute for the real thing. Remember when they told women to take Fosamax to keep from getting osteoporosis, guess what that causes. You got it! It causes the biggest bone in your body, the femur, to break. Yes, causing the very thing they said it would “cure.”
Anyone in their 50’s, like me, grew up in a time when soda was the “new thing.” We now know, the phosphoric acid in colas leach calcium from your bones increasing the risk of osteoporosis. So limiting them is important. Remember soda is not in the four food groups, so it should be an occasional treat not a staple.
Many foods help to keep your bones strong. Leafy greens, broccoli, salmon, and legumes all contain calcium. Bone broths are an excellent way to help nourish your bones and connective tissues
If you are lucky enough to be in walking distance to a nearby restaurant for lunch, midday could be the most important time of day. You could get your sunshine, a bit of exercise, a good healthy meal and “kill three birds with one stone,” or, better yet, just listen to them as you walk.
Remember, the good rays are blocked in the early and late part of the day by pollution and haze so midday is the best time to get your 15 minutes of sunshine. Please don’t be afraid of the sun in these small doses as the sunscreen manufacturers will have you believe. I believe that over use of sunscreen is part of the reason we have a vitamin D deficiency.
Sunshine will encourage you to sleep better, digest better, think clearer, have less depression and overall feel better in your skin. If your doctor says you need vitamin D for your bones, then get out in the sunshine and do some weight bearing exercise, incorporate some of the dietary suggestions above as that is what keeps your bones strong.
If you do all these things and you still have issues with your health and bones, I can assist with herbal options.