or You Won't Get Your Vitamin D from Fruits and Vegetables
"Just the facts, ma'am just the facts."
--Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption and the building of strong bones. It also plays major roles in the life cycle of human cells.
--Our skin synthesizes Vitamin D with exposure to UVB rays in sunlight. (A window filters these out, so laying in a sunbeam with your cat in the living room won't work. Don't ask me if I've tried it.)
--We can also get Vitamin D from dietary sources including eggs, fish, and meat, as well as fortified foods and supplements.
--It is not found in plants except:
-Microalgae - fishes' diet of this is thought to be one of the reasons that fish are high in Vitamin D
-Mushrooms (technically not a plant, but a fungi) - especially wild ones that have been exposed to sunlight.
-Yeast - another fungi
-Nightshade family plants (tomato, potato, eggplant, etc.) - it's been found in trace amounts in the leaves, but not in the parts we eat.
So basically, the only way you are going to get Vitamin D from fruits and vegetables is being in the sun while you are growing, picking, or eating them.
Disclaimer: This is a very simplified version of Vitamin D information. For example, there are two kinds of Vitamin D (D2, D3) that are formed and act in different ways. There have been many health claims for Vitamin D that have not panned out in studies, but may in future studies. Vitamin D in flora and fauna is a very complex subject which would be best understood with a good knowledge of organic chemistry and plant processes, neither of which I have. So I tried to stick to generalities to avoid confusion - mostly mine. :)
And one last thing. Ward and I tried to get a little Vitamin D recently, but unfortunately, we didn't beat the rain.
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| We visited High Rock which is on the Appalachian Trail in northern Maryland. Ward had visited there before during a hike, but I hadn't. It has a beautiful overlook and is a popular hang gliding spot, but we saw no one trying to do that in the rain and fog. Now about the graffiti. I'm not sure how it started, but it is definitely covered in it. I am opposed to graffiti, especially on natural features, but if I'm being honest, I found it colorful and pretty. |
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Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324590#getting-enough-vitamin-d
https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/can-vitamin-d3-come-plants/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3651966/#s1title
I got some vitamin D over the weekend. We experienced glorious spring weather. Hope everyone else did, too. Otherwise, it's milk and supplements for me.
ReplyDeleteI should have gotten some good vitamin D yesterday when we were at an outdoor family Easter gathering. The sun was bright and the temperatures were warm. A very nice day. Otherwise, just like you I take Vitamin D supplements.
DeleteWe had a vitamin D rich day today, bright and sunny! Milk I guess is fortified with Vitamin D and along with breakfast cereals. Some eggs are fortified with it, like Eggland's Best, I read.
ReplyDeleteRegular eggs naturally have a lot of Vitamin D, so eggs are a good source, but a sunny day is the best for many reasons--mood included.
DeleteThank you for a great post about vitamin D! I guess I don't get enough sunlight, even though I live in a relatively sunny area. I have to take supplements.
ReplyDeleteEach person is unique, but in general darker skinned people produce less vitamin D than fairer skinned people. Skin pigment, melanin, blocks the needed UV light and dark skinned people have more than that than fair skinned people. However, with the advent of sun screen use, I don't know how much that applies these days.
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