It’s dubbed the ‘sunshine vitamin’ but how do
we get enough vitamin D when the sun isn’t shining or you avoid
sunlight?
Sun exposure is required for the skin to produce vitamin D, as a
normal balanced diet contains very little. This has brought
about a growing concern for vitamin D deficiency in particular
groups: older people or those living in institutional care with
little exposure to sunlight, those with darker skin tone, and
those who cover themselves because of cultural or religious
reasons.
So how do you make sure you get enough? You don’t need to bake
yourself in the sun and risk skin cancer to get a good dose of
vitamin D.
How much you need depends on your skin colour. If you have fair
skin, you may only need approximately 5 minutes of daily
exposure in summer sun, whereas if you have darker skin, you may
need up to 20 minutes each day.
More exposure is needed over winter to product vitamin D because
UV levels are considerably less. But by getting enough sunlight
hours over summer, you can build up your stores for winter.
It’s also important to remember that even when it’s cloudy, you
are still exposed to UV light, so just because you can’t see the
sun, doesn’t mean you’re not getting vitamin D!
Very few foods contain vitamin D, here are some sources: oily fish, eggs and some
fortified milks and margarine. It’s a good idea to include these
healthy foods in your diet, even if you don’t think you have
concern for vitamin D deficiency.
Those over the age of 50 years need almost double the amount of
vitamin D than those younger than them. So to make sure you get
the recommended amount, try to get about 15 minutes of sensible
sunshine each day and eat the healthy foods mentioned above.
