Originally Posted by
Calsun
With Vitamin D (which is actually a hormone) what matters is the blood level of the individual. In my case I need more than 5,000 IU daily to put my ng/ml above 25 or the low end of the range. How much you ingest is not important but rather how your own body processes it and how much is in your blood stream. Doctors tend to be incredibly ignorant of such matters and even the straw dog studies will look for reduction in bone fractures with the amount of vitamin D provided to a study group, and I have only seen one study where they bothered to check the ng/ml blood levels of participants. Certain cancers and heart diseases are more prevalent with people with low levels of vitamin D in their system and this is to be expected as it is a vital component for the functioning of the immune system (as is vitamin C).
Minimizing the intake of meat and milk and sugars and all the additives in factory foods as well as avoiding the BPA that is in all the food plastic packaging, including canned foods and beverages in a can, is a wise way to avoid ill health.
After my thyroid cancer and surgery to remove the cancerous left lobe in 2018 my serum vitamin D indicators dipped dangerously low, around 15 ng/ml, and I had early onset osteopenia (with a family history of osteoporosis). My primary care doc prescribed 5,000 IU of D with calcium, but I neglected to take it until late 2019.
My doc had already read about the impending SARS-CoV2 pandemic by late 2019. She figured it was just a matter of weeks before it hit the US, so she badgered me to take the vitamin D, calcium, and suggested a few other supplements.
Even with 5,000 IU, and sometimes more between multivitamins, milk, etc., my levels are still in the low normal range. But it may have protected me from worse illnesses throughout the past couple of years. And recent bone scans show my osteopenia hasn't worsened.
I've made a few changes to my diet. I tried a vegetarian, then vegan, diet in 2018 after my thyroid cancer diagnosis. A friend had a trunkload of the stuff, left behind by her niece who's a hardcore vegan. I figured I might as well give it a try. But I'm genetically incapable of thriving on a vegan diet. I can't digest legumes, rice, etc., even with enzyme supplements.
For me, switching to a diet of mostly meat and animal products and resuming drinking milk was good for me. I hadn't drunk milk in decades due to lactose intolerance. But Braum's A2 milk eliminates the protein that causes digestive upset for many folks. It's cheaper than most ordinary milk and tastes just as good.
A few friends have gone full carnivore and say their health has never been better. One of them doesn't even cook his meat or use any seasoning. That's going a bit far for me. I eat a lot more red meat now, but I use all the seasonings I want, and usually grill or saute onions, mushrooms, maybe some peppers, for a little flavor. And I've eliminated most regular potatoes and tomatoes (trying the theory that some folks can't tolerate nightshades, and I was "allergic" to tomatoes as a kid), but started eating more sweet potatoes which I can digest without problems.
But I'm not dogmatic about diet. When I go out to dinner with friends I eat whatever is on the menu that sounds good, even if it causes minor digestive upset. If something new appeals to me in the grocery store I'll try it. My weaknesses are coffee, chocolate milk and Braum's pecan pie -- which shows in my belly pudge, although I'm only 5 lbs or so over my optimal weight. As a teenager and in my 20s I boxed amateur ranging from 132-155 lbs, and still weigh 155, so at 5'11" I'm in pretty decent shape. My optimal low body fat weight would be closer to 145-150. But I don't weigh myself often and won't worry about weight until I exceed 160.
I use whey protein powders occasionally (I can't digest vegan legume based protein powders), but usually in small amounts. I'm using more this week to supplement my diet due to vertigo with nausea caused by a persistent upper respiratory inflammation that's killed my appetite. But usually I prefer to just eat good food for protein and a balance of nutrients.