Here comes the sun – don’t run away from it!
Have you ever wondered why your mood lifts when the sun comes out? Or why it feels so good to lie outside and let your skin soak up some sunshine? It’s because the sun is so good for us! The human body needs sunlight to grow, thrive and survive. We need sunlight to be healthy.
For the past 30 years or so the sun has been the subject of much demonising. Doctors, dermatologists, health officials, beauty experts, product companies and that darn convincing ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ bird have had us running for cover the second we feel the heat of the sun on our skin. We are well educated on the link between skin cancer and sunlight exposure, but as a result of this over-simplification of facts we have gone from one extreme to the other. We are now so afraid of burning that our bodies are becoming severely deprived of vitamin D – a hormone best sourced from the sun. This is a serious problem and it is contributing to many illnesses and diseases.
Our bodies use sunlight to help the skin produce the vitamin D it needs to build bones, suppress inflammation, strengthen the immune system and protect against cancer (including skin cancer). A research paper by internationally recognised research scientist and vitamin D expert Dr William Grant, Ph.D shows just how strong the evidence that sunlight fights cancer really is. His conclusions state that, “From a scientific point of view, vitamin D reduces the risk of developing many types of cancer and increases survival once cancer reaches the detectable stage.”
Here are my top six tips for avoiding vitamin D deficiency:
1. Get your daily dose of sun: The best way to increase your vitamin D levels is through safe, smart and limited sunscreen-free exposure to the sun. 15-20 minutes of sun exposure daily should be all you need (although this varies depending on where you live, what type of skin you have and your age). Never lie out in the sun for extended periods of time or during the hottest part of the day, always avoid sunburn and build up a tolerance to the sun slowly. If you’re fair skinned, start introducing your skin to the sun in the cooler months in the morning or afternoon.
2. Uninterrupted exposure: You cannot generate vitamin D if there is a glass window between you and the sun. The UVB rays needed for vitamin D production are absorbed by glass and will not be passed through to your skin.
3. Don’t cover up with sunscreen: Even weak sunscreens will block the ability of your skin to absorb the UVB rays and manufacture vitamin D. However, once you have surpassed your 15-20 minutes of unprotected exposure, you should get out of the sun or cover up with something. If you do need sunscreen, find one that contains no chemicals. Visit the Environmental Working Group to find the safest products.
4. Protect your skin with food: Still worried that exposing your skin to sunlight is harmful? Load up on anti-oxidant rich foods and beneficial fats that will strengthen your skin cells and help to protect them from sun damage. These include vegetables and fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, goji berries and pomegranates.
5. Have your Vitamin D levels tested regularly: The best way to find out whether you are deficient or not is to take yourself along to have a blood test. If you are aiming for optimal health you will want your level to be in the 80-150 ng/ml range.
6. Take a supplement: During winter or if you live in an area that gets minimal sun exposure, you may need to source a vitamin D3 supplement. Be careful with this though because taking too large a dose can lead to vitamin D toxicity. This is why sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, as the body will only take and generate what it needs. If you think you need a supplement, check with your doctor or naturopath first and have your vitamin D levels checked regularly to ensure you are not getting more than you need.
If you want to learn more about the importance of vitamin D, check out Dr Joseph Mercola’s incredibly thorough vitamin D resource page.
Have you had your vitamin D levels tested? Do you think you get enough vitamin D? How often do you get out in the sun?
Positive affirmation for the day: The quality of my life is determined by the quality of my thoughts. If I change my mind, I can change my life.
Image credit: ToniVC
Have you bought your copy of The Wellness Warrior Live Well Starter Kit + 10-Day Cleanse? Click here to find out why it’s the best $12 you’ll ever spend.
Like this post? Share the love!
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Google+
POSTED IN: cancer, Dr Joseph Mercola, health, hormone, prevention, skin cancer, summer, sun, sunscreen, sunshine, vitamin D
join the tribe
Join the green mo revolution! Subscribe to get Jess's updates & Green Mo Revolution e-book FREE with over 80 green smoothie recipes!
Write a Reply
Hi Jess, I’m doing Gerson, so have been going outside each day to my dose of vitamin D. I’m in New York and we’re going into the cold season – quite a few months at or below zero degrees (and I think the angle of the sun is low, so the sunlight is weaker… something like that).
Do you have any suggestions on how to get vitamin D otherwise, since we can’t take supplements? I’m totally at a loss! Thanks much 
Hi Lucie, It might be a good idea to speak with one of the Gerson doctors about taking a vitamin D supplement if your levels become deficient. We do store vitamin D in our bodies, but if you are without it for a while you may need a supplement. Other than that I also read that eating lots of fresh leafy greens will increase your D levels slightly. I don’t know how accurate that is, but it was said that because the greens soak up D from the sun, we absorb some of it when we eat it. Are you under the care of a Gerson doctor? xx
Hi Jess, thanks, great idea; I’m heading to the Gerson clinic next Monday – very excited! – and I’ll ask the docs then. (I tested vitamin D deficient about a year ago, and was taking a supplement until I started the Gerson therapy.)
Man, as amazing as the Gerson therapy is and as much faith as I have in it, it’s a little overwhelming (also since I was only diagnosed 2 months ago). Did you find getting on the full therapy after the clinic was a challenge?
Oh great! It’s a good idea to start writing down any questions or concerns you have and then you can hit the doctors with them when you get there. Going to the clinic made the whole process less overwhelming to me. They are so supportive and encouraging. This was so refreshing after coming out of a system that told me I was going to die. It was challenging once we came home from the clinic, but once we got into a routine it was easier. The beginning was definitely the hardest, and then the challenge is just sticking with it for so long. It’s so worth it though! Wishing you all the best while you’re at the clinic and for when you get home. Keep me updated! xx
There are no fair or better sources of vitamin D from foods. Greens have none. That is why they add it to milk so to get enough drink 30 glasses of milk a day!? The best source is fish but you would have to eat enough fish to get mercury poisoning. Life started near the equator where you can get plenty of hormone D from the sun all year round. What state in the U.S. is closest to the equator? Hawaii. They have the longest living people of all states. Yes plants need light from the sun but you also need light from the sun just like all mammals. Iguanas are popular pets. They eat lots of greens, but without a sunlamp, they will die soon.
You can get too much vitamin D from supplements but it is rare. Do not take more than 15,000 IU a day. It has been found that it is safe for anyone to take 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day. The best is to see a doctor and get your blood tested. In the last 3 years, 6 MDs have written 6 books on vitamin D. In 2007 Time Magazine chose vitamin D as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year. In December 2010 the U.S. RDA of hormone D was tripled. Dr Oz has a video on youtube on vitamin D preventing breast, colon and uterine cancer.
Moores Cancer Center in California proposes that cancer is a vitamin D deficiency. Doctor of Public Health, Cedric Garland says that enough vitamin D (lifeguard levels) will virtually eradicate breast cancer. Andrew Weil M.D. says”
“Increasing the amount of vitamin D in the body can prevent or help treat a remarkable number of ailments, from obesity to arthritis, from high blood pressure to back pain, from diabetes to muscle cramps, from upper respiratory tract infections to infectious disease, and from fibromyalgia to cancers of the breast, colon, pancreas, prostate and ovaries.”
If I remember correctly I think researchers may have also found a link between vitamin D deficient pregnant women having an increased risk of having a child with autism. I think I remember reading that autism is a bit more common among children to women who (for religious purposes or otherwise) cover up a lot of their bodies up here in the north where it is important to get some sun exposure during the summer months.
Yes and autism is increasing. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201104/autism-and-vitamin-d
Hi
I was diagnosed late last year with been Vitamin D, deficent. I am olive skinned & am outdoors a lot! I lead a very active & healthy lifestyle. I also have PCOS, wondering if anyone can give me tips. I take a Vit D supplement as well as fish oil, multi vitmain & olive leaf. Plus eat loads of fruit & vege & mostly fish & seafood. Any suggestions would be very helpful