Vitamin D
 

Started using Fitday to track my nutrition. And surprisingly, my diet does a pretty good job of meeting the reccomended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals. The one that I'm woefull inadequate on is Vitamin D. Most everything else is at or above 100%, but I'm often at like 5% of the RDA for Vitamin D.

My hope is that sun exposure takes care of the problem. Anybody know if your body manufacturers enough Vitamin D from just being outside riding a lot ( in Florida.)?

This reference says:

Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Yes, but if your shadow is longer than you are tall, the sunlight will no longer contain the right frequency of light to produce vit-D. For people living at northern latitudes it becomes impossible to produce vit-D from sunlight for many months of the year. Milk, butter and margarine are fortified; cod liver oil and many calcium supplements are good sources as well.

I take a prescription gelcap from my endocrinologist once a week. It's definitely made a difference with my mood and resistance to germs.

If you have red hair (like I do) you are blessed in that you can create vitamin D from sunlight even when it it;s overcast Hurahh, finally something positive to counter society's "ginger-phobia".