Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for your overall health. If you check out this dentist in Lexington, they’ll also tell you that vitamin D is essential to your dental health as it helps in the mineralization of your teeth. It is essential for certain body processes, such as building strong bones, and it improves your digestive, nervous, immune, and circulatory symptoms. If you live in a sunny climate and you spend adequate time outdoors during the day, you probably have no trouble getting the recommended dosage of vitamin D.
However, if you do not get outside much, or if you live in a cloudy and cool climate, there is a chance that you are lacking in vitamin D, which can have a variety of health consequences. Once fall and winter comes around, getting vitamin D from the sun is almost impossible, even in sunnier locales. Although the sun is the best source of this important vitamin, there are other sources, such as Wellements vitamin D, that will keep your and your child’s vitamin D levels high.
Ways to Access Vitamin D This Fall
Unless you live near the equator, you will probably need to seek out other sources of vitamin D this fall. Fortunately, it is possible to obtain this vitamin through food, and seafood is one of the best sources. Fatty fish, such as wild-caught salmon, is a great source. Additional seafood that contains high levels of vitamin D include:
- Anchovies
- Tuna
- Oysters
- Mackerel
- Shrimp
- Sardines
Other food sources include egg yolks and mushrooms. You can also seek out foods that are fortified with this vitamin. Common sources include milk, cereal, yogurt, tofu, and orange juice.
Another option, especially if you are vegetarian, is supplementation. There are two kinds of vitamin D supplements available: D2 and D3. D3 has been shown to be more effective than D2, so seek out supplements that contain that form of the vitamin.
Vitamin D is not the only nutrient you should be concerned about. In fact, when seeking vitamin D supplements, or food sources, you may also want to purchase iron supplements for kids. Iron is instrumental in the body’s synthesis of vitamin D, so if you feel you are low in it, supplementation is important.
How to Prioritize your Child’s Vitamin D Levels
Your child’s vitamin D levels are just as important as yours. Children, especially young ones and babies, tend to be more susceptible to seasonal illnesses like colds and flus, and vitamin D is imperative in boosting their immune systems.
Many children are not fans of fish and seafood, so supplementation may be the best option. If you have a young baby, finding the right form of vitamin D is critical. If you are breastfeeding, and you have high levels of vitamin D, your baby may receive enough of it without needing supplementation. However, even if your levels are adequate, this may not be enough for your baby. Obviously, regular supplement pills are not appropriate for babies and young children, and there are various vitamin D drops baby benefits. Not only are the drops easy to add to water, milk, or juice, but they also contain the proper dosage of vitamin D3 that is appropriate for young ones.