The recent information from the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition regarding Vitamin D was very interesting.  Most people know that vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone.  Ultra violet light from the sun reacts with cholesterol in our skin to make vitamin D.  10 - 15 minutes per day with exposure of the hands and face is sufficient to produce the amount of vitamin D required.

But, because we now live such a sedentary and largely indoor life many people are showing signs of vitamin D deficiency.  Extreme deficiency would manifest symptoms in children with weak bones that tend to bow out and don’t grow properly.  But even in adults vitamin D is needed for the maintenance of healthy bone structure as well as the immune system and it plays a role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis and other autoimmune diseases.

The vitamin D that is formed in the skin is the storage form.  In order to be active this vitamin D is converted by the kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin D.  So to maximize our availability of this super powered vitamin D we need to protect kidney function.  This is best done by some simple natural lifestyle choices, i.e., drinking plenty of water, avoiding a high animal protein diet which produces by-products that must be filtered by the kidneys and can cause loss of kidney function, and avoiding the onset of diabetes by choosing a low-fat vegetarian diet with moderate intake of vegetable protein.

In order to supply sufficient vitamin D, get out in the sunshine every day that it is possible.  The more northern latitudes may not receive sufficient ultra violet in the darkest winter months.  But the body will store vitamin D for many months, provided it’s acquired in the summer and fall.

Look for a new product coming to markets soon.  Mushrooms high in Vitamin D, b not fortified, like dairy milk.  Mushrooms produce, naturally, a small amount of vitamin D.  These new mushrooms will be exposed to an extra dose of sunlight in order to maximize the vitamin D content.  Look for them in your stores starting this year - 2008.

So, enjoy the sun, even a little tan, don’t get burned, drink plenty of water and the reward will be strong bones, cancer prevention and a strong immune system.  How blessed we are that a loving creator made all this so easy.  Best of Health - Kay H.