Get Your Daily Dose of Sunshine
Have you had your sunshine today?
For all the warnings out there about sun damage and the dangers of ultraviolet rays, it seems almost radical to mention the beneficial effects of sunlight. We've all heard about skin cancer and skin damage due to overexposure. We know too well that burning ball of fire has become epidermal enemy number one. Sunblock, sunscreen, spray on tans - products marketed to us in order to shield us from the ravages of Sol. The problem, of course, is that avoiding the sun completely is also dangerous to your health.
If you're under a certain age, you probably don't understand why your mother used to insist that you drink your milk. She probably told you that milk was good for your bones and left it at that. But do you know why milk is good for your bones? Sure, milk is a great source of calcium but your body doesn't process calcium easily. Calcium needs a helper. That helper is Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. What you may also not realize is that cow's milk doesn't contain Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an additive to milk. That's why the milk you buy at the store reads: Fortified with Vitamin D. In fact, there are very few foods that contain Vitamin D naturally. How many kids do you know who will happily eat salmon, mushrooms or down a spoon full of cod liver oil? So, instead your mother gave you milk, fortified with vitamin D. She did it because she loves you. She did it because she didn't want you to get rickets.
But, here's the thing. There's another source of Vitamin D that you don't have to eat. According to estimates, that source will be with us for at least another 99 million years. It's there for you any time you need it and it's absolutely free.
Humans need Vitamin D but our bodies don't produce it. We have to go and get it. Back when we lived off the land, we had all the sunshine we needed. The more society specialized and moved inside, the less we were exposed to ultraviolet rays. When those ultraviolet rays hit our skin, our bodies manufacture Vitamin D. In the 1930's governments began to add the vitamin to processed foods, shortly after a relationship between rickets and Vitamin D deficiency was discovered by Edward Mellenby. If you have grandparents or great grandparents who were children during this era, give them respect. Their mothers used to chase them around and make them take a dose of cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is nasty tasting stuff. Sunshine is so much better. No taste. No calories.
What's more, there's a Vitamin D renaissance going on. Groups like the Vitamin D Council are warning us that even with the prevalence of fortified foods, most people are still not getting enough D. Some researchers think this mass deficiency amounts to a worldwide public health crisis. There are many studies that have concluded that Vitamin D does much more than contribute to a healthy skeletal system. According to these researches, Vitamin D also prevents certain forms of cancer, improves our immune systems and may even prevent heart attacks.
How Much Sun Exposure is Enough?
There's no getting around the fact that UV rays harm our skin. Any dermatologist will tell you that a tan is nothing but skin damage. The basic consensus is that five minutes of full sun will provide you with all the Vitamin D you need to keep you fit. Obviously, sunblock is right out as it completely blocks UV rays.
Another problem: The higher you live latitudinally, then less UV rays get through the atmosphere to absorb into your skin. For instance, people that live in Canada have a major problem with Vitamin D deficiency. This is especially true during the winter months. People with dark skin have more trouble getting Vitamin D from sunshine because melanin blocks the process. Older folks also have problems manufacturing Vitamin D. There's really no set standard for the proper amount of sun exposure one needs in order to benefit from Vitamin D. The best way to find out is to either visit with your dermatologist or consult your country's health/nutritional health council, department or board.
What we can tell you is you need to go outside and get some sun. Maybe not every single day. Maybe three days a week maximum. If all you can do is step out on your porch or balcony and point your face up to the sun for a few minutes, then you're doing something positive to further your Vitamin D intake. If you live in higher latitudes, make sure to eat foods that contain Vitamin D, such a good old milk and fatty fish.
After the last 20 years of the sunshine scare, it sounds a little crazy to recommend a dose of old Sol. So, what? Be a little crazy. Bone health is deadly serious. When you get to be as old as your grandma, your bones will be more important that ever. Don't live a full life just so you can break a hip when you're 80. Get your daily does of sunshine. It beats cod liver oil!
By J.A. Romig | VEESH Writer | APR.14.08