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For some of us the messages are coming from so many directions that the end result is confusion. How can the sun be so confusing? To sun or not to sun?
But the latest information seems to highlight a growing trend throughout the U.S. population. Americans aren’t getting enough sun. Whether stuck inside working at a desk, watching television, or lathered up in so much sunscreen the rays can’t break through; it seems we’re short on vitamin D.
According to an article in Food Navigator, currently only 23 percent of the American public reach the level of vitamin D needed for optimal health. New research done by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry suggests that at risk Americans should be tested to check their levels.
Vitamin D is critical to a healthy functioning body because deficiencies are linked to a host of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer. Fight against deficiency by spending between 10 and 15 minutes per day outside without sunscreen, depending on your skin type. But don’t overdo it and burn your skin. When it’s time to put on sunscreen, here’s a guide to finding a safe, environmentally sound choice.
According to an article in US News, in the winter, it's impossible to produce vitamin D from the sun if you live north of Atlanta because the sun never gets high enough in the sky for its ultraviolet B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. When you're not outside getting it, make sure it's in your diet. Fortified soy milk, cow’s milk, salmon, and eggs are all good sources of vitamin D as well.
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