Vitamin D: Are You Getting Enough?
It's that time of year again, where we change our clocks backwards to try and make the most of the decreased daylight hours. Many of us head to work while it's still dark out in the morning, and don't get to go home from work until after sunset. This makes it even more difficult to get the sunshine we so desperately need!
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that our bodies need for numerous reasons, including (but not limited to) bone health, immune function, and mental health. Sunshine is one way that the body is able to get vitamin D. We absorb the suns UV rays through our skin which gets synthesized into vitamin D. In Canada, as our days get shorter, the sun exposure becomes less and less, and as a result the vitamin D that we are used to getting in the summer months is decreased. Vitamin D is helpful for mental well-being and this is why we see more people getting the "winter blues" if they are susceptible to low vitamin D levels. Get your levels checked through your medical doctor or naturopathic doctor to see if you have optimal levels of vitamin D.
