How to boost your vitamin D intake this winter

Vitamin D plays an important role in our health. It ensures our bones and muscles stay strong and boosts our immune system. The good news is that we make most of this vitamin ourselves. But to do that, we need enough sunlight. We need to ensure we maintain our vitamin D levels especially in winter. Find out how in this article.

1. Vitamin D deficiency: what is it?

A lack of vitamin D in the body leads to problems with our bones and muscles. Children who do not absorb enough vitamin D may develop deformities as they grow. Elderly people are at risk of fragile or weak bones, or even fractures.

Scientists have also established a link between vitamin D deficiency and fatigue, chronic back pain, depression and osteoporosis. That’s right, vitamin D is essential for your body to function properly. All the more reason to take a closer look!

2. How can vitamin D deficiency be prevented?

There's not much you need to do to get enough vitamin D - provided you lead a healthy lifestyle. Our skin itself produces 90% of our vitamin D intake when exposed to sunlight, even on cloudy days. The only problem is our winters.

Often, during the winter months, the sun in our region is not powerful enough to enable our skin to produce enough vitamin D. What's more, in winter we spend more time indoors and wrap up warmly when we go out. As a result, our skin does not get enough exposure to daylight.

In addition, people with darker skin tones naturally produce less vitamin D, and people aged 70 and over also have greater difficulty producing this essential vitamin. Therefore, these groups must be particularly vigilant.

3. How do you ensure your vitamin D intake this winter?

What can we do to maintain our vitamin D levels? By spending at least half an hour a day outdoors, arms and legs uncovered, preferably between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., as this is when the UVB rays we need are the strongest.

In winter, it's not always possible to spend enough time outdoors. What's more, in our country, the sun's rays are not powerful enough for us to produce enough vitamin D. So it's best to fill our food basket with vitamin D-rich foods. During the darker months, you can also take a daily vitamin D supplement to avoid vitamin D deficiency.

Oh, and it’s good to know that sunbathing behind a window has no effect on vitamin D levels, because glass blocks most UVB rays. And sun cream blocks UVB rays too, although it's still healthier to apply it in summer.

4. Food that contains vitamin D

Although the main source of vitamin D is sunlight - we get 90% of our daily dose from it - we can also replenish our vitamin D reserves through certain foods.

In winter, be sure to pack your shopping trolley with products rich in vitamin D, such as:

• Cheese
• Eggs
• Beef
• Oily fish (e.g. salmon or mackerel)

When you do your weekly shopping, look out for vitamin D mentioned on other packaging too. You can find margarine, oil or cooking fats enriched with vitamin D.