Why Vitamin D is Essential During Winter

We all love cuddling up during the cold winter months and sipping on hot cocoa, but there’s one crucial thing that often slips our minds when the temperature drops—vitamin D. Vitamin D is an incredibly important vitamin, especially during winter. Let’s take a look at why this vitamin is so essential and how you can make sure you are getting enough of it during the colder months. 

What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which helps build strong bones and teeth. It also plays an important role in many other bodily functions, such as cell growth, immune system health, and regulating hormones. This means that if you don’t get enough of this vital nutrient, it can cause serious health problems like osteoporosis and even depression.
The Sun is Your Best Source of Vitamin D
Vitamin D comes from two sources: food and the sun. Unfortunately, not many foods contain large amounts of this nutrient; only a few are rich in it—like salmon, egg yolks, mushrooms, and fortified milk products—so most of our vitamin D must come from the sun. The UV rays from sunlight interact with our skin to produce vitamin D naturally. During winter months, however, people spend more time indoors which decreases their exposure to sunlight resulting in lower levels of vitamin D3 production.
Supplements Can Help You Get Enough Vitamin D
It's difficult to get enough vitamin D solely through diet or sunshine during winter months so supplements are often needed to help fill any gaps in your daily intake. But make sure you talk to your doctor before taking any kind of supplement to ensure it's safe for you to use! Additionally, don’t forget that while supplements are incredibly helpful they should never replace healthy foods or natural sources of vitamins like sunshine!  

There’s no doubt about it - we all need some extra TLC during winter months—especially when it comes to making sure we get enough vitamin D! Not only does vitamin D help form strong bones and teeth but it also plays an important role in several other bodily processes like cell growth and hormone regulation too! So keep warm and cozy out there but don't forget your daily dose of sunshine (safely) or a supplement if needed to keep yourself healthy all season long!

Here is a link for some different options for Vitamin D!