Vitamin D and Sunlight - A Most Important Resource

An important source of Vitamin D comes from the sun, as our bodies can synthesize this important nutrient with sunlight exposure.  The sun gives life sustaining energy to every organism on Earth including every cell in our bodies. With the news that many children today are Vitamin D deficient, I decided to “test” what is important to know about Vitamin D. These are the answers I received:

To ensure proper absorption of Vitamin D,  daily sun exposure is essential.  Vitamin D is absorbed through the hair follicles especially at the back of the head near the base of the skull. Where there is no hair, there is less absorption.

More interesting is the next tidbit of information that I received: Vitamin D is best absorbed through movement. Remembering my own childhood, we were sent out of doors to play from early morning until dinnertime, allowed to return indoors only for breakfast or lunch. And yet I have no memory of ever being sunburned.

I took this understanding to another level and asked, “Why are we designed to absorb best through movement?” My answer came quickly and clearly, “Because time is too precious to waste.” In other words, our bodies absorb best when used to create joy in life.  Our bodies are designed to work and play in nature.

Even more information was revealed: The dark, cold winter months of November, December and January require less Vitamin D than our more active, warmer months of June, July and August. These cold, dark times are a time for self reflection. It is a time to slow our body movement which in turn, requires less Vitamin D. So think about how important it is to take advantage of a bright, sunny day during those long winter months. There is nothing healthier for our bodies at that time of year than a good snowball fight or a shovel full of snow!

A sunny winter day is a gift of Vitamin D, one we can easily all take advantage of, so go outside and play!