Unlike fifty or sixty years ago, when the major part of the population spent both weekdays (because of the job) and weekends (because there were not, or were not so spread, TVs, internet, mobile phones… and all the stuff generated in the last thirty years that encourage to remain home!) in the open air, we are more likely to develop a vitamin D deficiency. Interestingly, this is not just a vegan problem!
To be clear: VITAMIN D is a group of pro-hormones consisting of five different fat-soluble vitamins: vitamin D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. The two most important forms in which vitamin D can be found are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The latter (D3), derived from cholesterol, is synthesized in animals, while the former (D2) is of vegetable origin.
What are the principal functions of this vitamin?
Firstly, the stimulation of absorption of calcium and phosphorus, two important elements for the right development and maintenance of bones, through the intestine; secondly, the adjustment, in synergy with parathyroid hormone, of plasma levels of calcium; and thirdly, the maintenance of an adequate mineralization of the skeleton, depositing the calcium in the bone tissue.
Moreover, recent studies have discovered a link between good level of this vitamin and a “protection” against cancer, through its anti-proliferative effects and the regulation of apoptosis, the programmed cell death. Right level of vitamin D is connected to a reduced incidence of multiple sclerosis, too; and lastly, a shortage of vitamin D has been discovered to be associated with higher level of depression.
Well, the importance is ascertained. So, where do we find this fundamental vitamin?
In food? Yes… but probably not the right quantity! Indeed, there are vegan options (as well as non-vegan ones), but all are not able to guarantee the assumption of the daily needed level of the vitamin.
The vegan ones are principally three:
- FRESH MUSHROOMS: portobello, maitake, morel and shiitake mushrooms are all high in vitamin D, and, if exposed to the sun for few minutes before eating them… well, their content increases!
(Learn more about mushrooms: https://www.oipa.org/international/mushrooms/ )
- FORTIFIED SOY, ALMOND, RICE, …MILK: in this case is important to check the label, because not all milks are fortified. Anyway, if one is not, just jump it and look for another one. The same hint holds for yogurt, tofu…
https://www.oipa.org/international/vegetable-milk/
- Salad, especially arugula, radicchio, including cabbage and broccoli: all the green leaf, grown in the sunlight. These ones must be consumed fresh, without cooking them, and avoiding or limiting the use of salt and vinegar, which reduce the absorption of vitamin D.
If the right quantity of vitamin D is not obtained by diet… why are people all over the world still in good health? The answer to this question is… THE SUN. No, not the British tabloid. The celestial body that allows life on earth… that sun!
According to the Vitamin D council: “The two main ways to get vitamin D are by exposing your bare skin to sunlight (ultraviolet B, UVB) and by taking vitamin D supplements. You can’t get the right amount of vitamin D your body needs from food.”[1] The human body is designed to produce vitamin D3 when exposed to the sunlight, and so sunbathing is not just relaxing and a way to make yourself more tanned, but a healthy habit, too. To be honest, this cannot be an excuse to plan a trip or a journey: the process of turning UVB in vitamin D happens very quickly: just 15 minutes per day for a fair skin, or an hour or two for the darker ones.
The amount of vitamin D your body produces from exposing to the sun depends on different factors:
First, the hour of day à more vitamin D in the middle of the summer days: in the earlier and later hours (or during the winter), the atmosphere blocks the UVB.
Second, the place you live à closer to the equator, easier to produce vitamin D during all the year.
Third, the colour of your skin à pale skins make vitamin D more quickly than darker skins.
The skin you expose à more skin (without sunscreens) means more vitamin D your body will produce.
Because vitamin D3 is both fundamental and not vegan, neither in food nor in supplements, sunlight is a gift from nature. Use it responsibly… and GO VEGAN.
How to get more Vitamin-D: https://www.innerbody.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-how-to-avoid-it#how-to-get-more-vitamin-d
(Read more about VITAMIN D)
Author
Paola Colombo
