Best Friends Forever- Vitamin D & Calcium
Vitamin D is often called the sunshine vitamin, because our skin naturally produces the nutrient from the sun’s ultra violet light (UVB), vitamin D helps control the amount of calcium we absorb and therefore is important for developing and maintaining strong bones.Vitamin D deficiency is especially prevalent in, and most critical to the health of, children. With a tendancy to spend more time indoors and less time playing outside, children in the Ireland are not producing enough vitamin D through a natural exposure to sunlight. In Ireland we don’t make enough vitamin D through the action of sunlight on our skin alone, so it is vital to consume foods rich in vitamin D.
Supplementation of vitamin D is on the increase as people are failing to get enough from diet or sunshine; however, this is easily remedied by the suggestions below.
How can we help prevent Vitamin D-ficiency?
• Get active in the sun.
• Eat oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and tuna.
• Choose breakfast cereals with added vitamin D.
• Choose vitamin D enriched milks.
• Eat eggs and meat which also contain small amounts of vitamin D.
Fact!
Low fat fortified milk contain just as much protein, vitamins, calcium and other minerals as the full-fat versions - they’re just lower in fat and calories!
Did you know that food with added vitamins and minerals, such as Kellogg’s breakfast cereals, can be a significant source of calcium and vitamin D.
Read more: Vitamin D and why it's so important
