Getting Vitamin D is pretty important to you and your children. About 70 per cent of children are not getting enough Vitamin D. Adults with low Vitamin D are at a higher risk for diabetes, cancers, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
Children with low level of Vitamin D were at a higher risk for high blood pressure and have a lower amount of good cholesterol in their blood. They also tend to have higher levels of parathyroid hormone, meaning that their bones need more calcium to grow. Here are a few ways that you can help ensure that they are at least getting more, if not enough.
Eat foods rich in Vitamin D
Many fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, and sardines, are rich in Vitamin D. Drink fortified milk and orange juice, and eat cereals with Vitamin D supplements. Use fortified milk instead of water in soups and oatmeal. Feed children yogurt fortified with Vitamin D.
Encourage outside play time
Vitamin D is a conditional vitamin, which means that it is necessary to eat only when your body does not make enough of it by itself. Your body makes it in your skin through the action of UV rays from the sun. It only takes about 15-20 minutes in the sun for your body to make enough. However, putting on sunscreen blocks the UV-B rays that help make Vitamin D, so slathering on sunscreen every time you go outside will not help you make more Vitamin D.
Unless you burn easily, don't put on sunscreen as soon as you go outside. Instead, wait for about 10 minutes. People with darker skin colouring have a harder time getting enough Vitamin D naturally - that is through exposure to the sun - because darker skin blocks UV rays.
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