The benefits of vitamin D

(WHTM) – Many of us have limited time outdoors during the winter, which means many of us don’t get enough vitamin D. How can this affect our health?

“Vitamin D is really important, especially when it comes to bone density. This works very well with calcium. What often happens is when we don’t get enough calcium in our diet, the body will actually decrease calcium stores. So vitamin D helps maintain these calcium stores to keep our bones nice and strong. A lot of research actually shows that vitamin D improves overall mood,” said registered dietitian Beth Czerwony of the Cleveland Clinic.

Czerwony explained that many people who are vitamin D deficient can find out with simple blood tests. However, some warning signs may include fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness, and mood swings.

Simple dietary changes like oily fish, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines are all good dietary options to help with vitamin D deficiency. Mushrooms, egg yolks and milk are also fortified with vitamin D.

Czerwony also encourages people to talk to their doctor to see if vitamin D supplementation is necessary. If this is the case, the time of day you take it can make a difference.

“I always recommend eating it with your heaviest meal because it’s a fat-soluble vitamin. It’ll actually increase your absorption better with some kind of fat, and that’s how people usually take it in the morning, because it’s kind of like that – we usually take our vitamins in the morning. But often our breakfast isn’t very hard – it’s quite light. So I always recommend doing this at dinner time, if that’s your biggest meal, and you’ll actually find the numbers increase a little faster,” Czerwony said.

Your doctor may want to check your vitamin D levels regularly if you have certain risk factors for deficiency.