DID YOU KNOW...

Did you know that vitamin D is actually a hormone that your body produces?

Vitamin D can be found in a few food sources - mostly fatty fish such as; herring, salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna.  Calling it a vitamin isn't entirely accurate because our bodies create it through exposure to sunlight.  When your skin is exposed to the sunlight, your body produces plenty of the hormone we call Vitamin D to use, and stores the rest.

Your body can produce enough D during the summer months and use stores of it during the winter.  Baking in the sun for hours, however, isn't good for your skin and in fact, actually diminishes your vitamin D stores.  Experts suggest that light skinned people get 20 minutes of direct sunlight several times a week.  Darker skinned people need more sunlight in order to make D, and should try for 30 - 40 minutes when possible. The more area of your skin that is exposed, the more D your body will make and store for later use.

According to Dr. Mitra Ray the only way that your body can actually use that stored vitamin D is through proper nutrition. Good nutrition includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, plant sources of protein, lean meat, poultry or fish. According to health tips by Wendy Battles of Healthy Endeavors, LLC, integrate whole foods, limit your consumption of processed foods and drink plenty of water.

A Vitamin D deficiency is a serious thing: cancer, diabetes, obesity, infertility, auto-immune diseases, and bone loss are all linked to low levels of vitamin D.

Ref: Mitra Ray, PhD, author of: From Here to Longevity, Wendy Battles, Healthy Endeavors, LLC

At SeaStones Natural Therapies, our goal is to enhance your health and well-being. We take a holistic approach to wellness and specialize in treating pain caused by injury or stress. We can help you on the way to a healthy lifestyle through massage and other natural therapies, as well as, offer nutritional support through Juice Plus+.  If you are not eating enough fruits and vegetables in your daily diet JuicePlus+ is the next best thing.