Gina Casagrande, MS, RD, LD is the Director of Nutrition and Health at Imagination to Burn. She’s also a very informative writer at her blog The Candid Rd. I’ve gotten to know Gina through her writing and decided to pick her brain about good ole Vitamin D. Here’s the scoop…

Why is Vitamin D so important? Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins, in my opinion, as everyday I seem to learn something new about its benefits and how it can protect people from certain diseases/conditions.  Vitamin D is most known for it’s role in aiding calcium absorption.  It also helps regulate serum calcium and phosphate levels.  Without enough vitamin D you are more likely to suffer conditions such as osteomalacia and/or osteoporosis (softening of the bones, and thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density, respectively).  Vitamin D also plays a role in immunity and reduction of inflammation.  Studies have shown vitamin D may play more specific roles in heart and breast health.  This is just a short list of vitamin D’s many benefits, stay tuned for more as the years go by!

How much Vitamin D do we need on a daily basis? The AI (Adequate Intake) of vitamin D for males and females ages 19-50 is 200 IU (International Units).  The DV (Daily Value) is 400IU (this is what they use on food labels, so when you see 25% DV vitamin D, that means it has 100 IU vitamin D per serving).  These number has been debated recently, as many studies are finding that we may actually require more than this.  Personally I get about 600 IU vitamin D (through food and supplements) in my diet on a regular basis.  The UL (Upper Limit) is 2000 IU, which has also been debated.  This may soon be changing to a number closer to 10,000 IU/per day!

What foods should we eat to get more Vitamin D? The sun is your best source of vitamin D, and you can’t overdose on vitamin D by getting too much sun.  During the winter it’s more difficult to get sun, so I suggest drinking fortified milk (soy, almond, cow), fortified yogurts (Stonyfield yogurst are usually fortified, and some Yoplait), canned tuna/salmon, Keif (fermented milk product, I love it!), or take a supplement (I take one Viactiv everyday).  ** Make sure you consume a source of fat with your vitamin D supplement, or food.  Vitamin D is fat soluble, therefore you will not absorb it if you are not getting a source of fat with the food you eat. If you drink fat free milk, have a bit of peanut butter or something so you can absorb the vitamin D in that milk!!**

How can we get Vitamin D safely from the sun while balancing the risks of skin damage? You will not get vitamin D from the sun unless you don’t have sunscreen on.  Although many people don’t like to expose their skin to the sun without protection, all that is needed is about 10-15 minutes of direct sun, twice a week.  The best time is between 10am and 3pm.  After the 10-15 minutes is up, go ahead and put your sunscreen on!  Trust me, the benefits of vitamin D are worth any risk you have for sun damage.  10-15 minutes twice a week is not dangerous, in my opinion.  But if you are against that idea, go out and get some fortified foods!

How do our bodies create Vitamin D from the sun? This is quite a question with quite a long answer.  There is a compound underneath your skin that when exposed to UV light is converted to previtamin D.  After some stops to the liver and kidney, it is turned to the active form of the vitamin.  To learn more, I suggest visiting Wikepedia, it’s actually quite helpful.

Should we take Vitamin D supplements? If so, do you have any recommendations? You should take a vitamin D supplement during the winter, if you are always wearing sunscreen in the summer, or if you live somewhere where sunlight is insufficient (The UV energy above 42 degrees north latitude (a line approximately between the northern border of California and Boston) is insufficient for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis from November through February).  You should also take a supplement if you are a vegan and don’t consume any dairy (although Almond Breeze and soy milks are fortified usually) or if you are on a low-fat diet.  But again, you must consume some fat with your supplement in order for it to be absorbed.   I take Viactiv, once daily. Visit this link to learn more about vitamin D.

Good stuff, especially the part where Gina recommends eating peanut butter with milk…we all know how much I love peanut butter!

Now I really much go call Gina and tell her she gets straight A’s  in Vitamin D! Thanks, Gina!