Remember your sunscreen, but don’t forget about Vitamin D! Studies show that 53% of all women –- that’s roughly 82 million women in the United States alone –- are deficient in Vitamin D, a vitamin linked to breast health, a stronger immune system, and great-looking skin too!
With UV rays being one of the most common natural sources of vitamin D, the summer months bring a welcome change to winter’s grey skies. While it’s important to protect our skin from sun damage, layering on sunscreen actually limits the body’s intake of vitamin D. Here are the ways you can reach your daily recommended value:
- Get your D straight from nature with foods like cod liver oil (ew), egg yolks, liver, and fatty fish.
- Supplements are one of the most valuable sources of vitamin D, and the source most advocated by nutrition experts because they contain vitamin D3, the more lasting form of vitamin D. (You could call it “Heavy D”, if you’re into that sort of corniness. I know I am.)
And just why is vitamin D so awesome, you ask? Here are just a few of its benefits:
- Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium — you know, that stuff our bones need to be healthy?
- Adequate levels of vitamin D boost your natural immunity to diseases like the flu, according to the Vitamin D Council. (So if you’ve been to Mexico recently, stock up.)
- Studies show that adequate levels of vitamin D may help to support breast health.
[...] More here: Summer Beauty: The Wonders Of Vitamin D [...]
Or you could DITCH the sun cream so you actually KNOW when you have had too much sun i.e. when you start to sunburn. The sun cream blocks UVB but doesn’t block UVA, thats the dangerous one.
….Ross, are you actually suggesting we wait until we can see a sunburn form on the skin to tell when we’ve had too much sun? That is extremely dangerous. Sunburns do not show on the surface of your skin until long after you’ve had too much exposure; by then, you could have seriously damaged the surface of your skin.
Also – sun cream DOES block some amount of both UVA and UVB; in fact, so does Vaseline, foundation and any moisturizer. The reason is that the cream acts as a physical barrier that literally protects your skin by covering its surface, thus blocking out the sun’s rays. While it’s more beneficial to use an SPF product, in fact any product – including a T-shirt – will help protect your skin from the sun.