Are you getting enough vitamin D?

Photo by Bryan Minear

The sun is vital to our very existence on this planet, and the sunshine vitamin - vitamin D - is vital to health while we’re here. Nearly all of our our cells have receptors for vitamin D, which means it’s an integral part of our body’s ability to function. That includes our fat cells, which unfortunately tend to cling to vitamin D and block it from the rest of the body.

Maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D in your diet and through supplements can help ward off a variety of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Spending about ten minutes outdoors each day without sunscreen is another way to absorb vitamin D, but depending on the weather where you live, it may not be enough.

Here’s where studies have shown vitamin D to have an impact:

Prevents inflammation
Reduces chronic pain
Maintains a healthy immune system
Lowers blood sugar
Prolongs cognition as we age
Lowers the risks of cancer
Improves our bone density
Minimizes risk of bone fractures
Helps our body absorb and retain calcium

You’ve probably seen both D2 and D3 on the shelves of your pharmacy. D3 comes from lichen or sheep lanolin and D2 comes from fungi. Our bodies can absorb D3 much better than D2, so D3 is best when you have a deficiency.

Contact me for recommendations on the most effective natural supplements so you know you’re always getting your daily dose of D, even when the sun’s not shining.

How to soothe chronic inflammation

The pain and swelling you experience with an injury is actually a good thing. That kind of temporary inflammation acts as your strongest ally by reminding you to rest so the injury can heal.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is one of your body’s stealthiest enemies. Medical research has found that chronic inflammation can be an underlying cause for many debilitating conditions, including allergies, depression, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Hundreds of illnesses that modern medicine has classified as “unique and unrelated” are actually products of the same underlying balances in our bodies.

Chronic inflammation can simmer for years, wreaking havoc on your body. It might manifest as chronic pain or it could be silently compromising your internal organs and other disease-fighting cells without you even knowing it. It occurs when your immune system is overworked and your white blood cells start accumulating beyond what your body can tolerate, because they can’t find a legitimate infection to fight off.

So what can cause your immune system to work overtime? Research shows that weight gain and poor food choices could very well be the main culprits. Not only does weight gain lead to inflammation, certain foods that we eat actually cause unnecessary inflammation – by avoiding these, we can help bring our immune system back into balance. And bonus! There are also plenty of wonderful foods you can easily add to your diet that reduce inflammation.

Our plant kingdom is filled with naturally anti-inflammatory nutrients - eat more of these foods:

• Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower 
• Tomatoes, beets and leafy greens
• Tuna, salmon and other fatty fish
• Olive oil, garlic, ginger, turmeric and parsley
• Almonds, walnuts and macadamias
• Seeds – pumpkin, hemp and flax
• Berries and citrus fruits
• Tea, red wine, cocoa

Eat less of these foods:

• Processed meats, red meats
• White flour - bread, pasta, pastries
• Fried foods, excess vegetable oils
• Margarine or lard
• Sugar, sodas, alcohol

There are several supplements that have been found to reduce inflammation, too.

• Omega 7 can lower CRP (a protein marker for systemic inflammation) by more than 40%
• Curcumin, which comes from turneric, reduces the low density lipoproteins found in cholesterol
• Magnesium can lower blood pressure and control blood sugar
• Resvertol (an ingredient in red wine) helps protect arteries and inhibits blood clots
• Cocoa flavonoids help the body synthesize nitric acid, which iscritical for healthy blood flow
• Boswella lowers inflammation and pain associated with osteoarthritis

The best way to permanently decrease chronic inflammation is to make better choices with your die, exercise routines and stress management. Now go enjoy a lovely salmon dinner with lots of veggies and a glass of red wine!

How to Get Enough Magnesium in Your Diet

Now that you know how important magnesium is for your health, how do you make sure you’re getting enough of it in your diet? 

The recommended daily allowance of magnesium is between 350mg and 400mg. You don’t want to over-consume it though, because that leads to digestive discomfort as the body tries to evacuate the excess.

Foods that are high in magnesium include whole grains, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, fish, dairy, some fruits and vegetables…and even dark chocolate has a touch of this marvelous mineral (yay!).

Here’s a list of some of the most magnesium-rich foods and the percentage of the daily allowance:

• 1 cup cooked spinach – 39% 
• 1 oz. pumpkin seeds – 37% 
• 1 cup cooked edamame – 37% 
• 1 cup cooked black-eyed peas – 23% 
• 1 cup cooked brown rice – 21% 
• 1 cup cooked kale – 19% 
• ½ cup walnuts – 16% 
• 3 oz. tuna – 14% 
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt – 12% 
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta – 11% 
• ½ cup dried apricots – 10% 
• 1 cup lowfat milk – 10% 
• 1 medium banana – 8% 
• ½ large avocado – 9% 
• 1 Hershey’s Special Dark Bar (1.45oz) – 3% 

If you aren’t a fan of the leafy greens (or you’re not a banana-lovin’ minion) you can take a daily magnesium supplement. When selecting supplements, it's important to look at their ingredients for quality, purity and efficacy. Whole food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients found in nature which we are not currently getting from our diet.

You also want to make sure you aren’t consuming something that actually takes magnesium away from you. For example, drinking carbonated colas will deplete your magnesium levels because their phosphates bind up the magnesium in your body. A diet that’s high in saturated fat makes it harder for magnesium to absorb in your gut. Eating too much sugar forces your kidneys to increase the excretion of magnesium.

As always, balance is key to good health - now go have a look at some of these delicious recipes that pack a healthy dose of our favorite miracle mineral. Bon appetit!

Brown Rice with Spinach & Walnuts
Sweet-n-Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Garlic Shrimp & Black-Eyed Peas
Avocado & Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
Bittersweet Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bark