Fail

So I was doing an experiment where I supplemented with 2000 IU's of Vitamin D a day and attempted to hang out in the Colorado sun sans sunscreen. This experiment did not yield the results I was hoping for. I got burned. It's a bummer but I'm going to up the V-D for a few days to see if I heal faster. I still think vitamin D is awesome though and we all need to actively try and get more of it into our bodies. 8-10 hour days staring at computer terminals and sitting in windowless cubicles is a vitamin D destroying lifestyle. What are you doing to get your Vitamin D?

Nutritious Notes

Tonight I was watching the Biggest Loser and some of the past contestants joined the current contestants for parts of a marathon. What I noticed was all but 1 of the past contestants had gained some of the weight back. I don't really wonder why though. The show focuses getting the contestants to lose a ton of weight through extreme exercising and a very low calorie diet. And then it sends them home. The only nutrition advice the contestants get seems to come in the form of product promotion, aka the big bucks of the processed food marketing world. When the contestants leave the ranch, they probably do their best to eat like they did on the ranch but unfortunately, that probably means they are buying processed foods, 100 calorie artificial sugar yogurt and multigrain cheerios. These are not the tools for a weight loss supporting diet. What the show needs to do is hire me to teach about the importance of whole foods, eliminating the processed crap and teaching the contestants how to cook healthy meals. For instance, the healthy meal I enjoyed while watching the show: steamed Sea Bass with Mango Ginger sauce and from the garden chard cooked in vegetable broth. It took me 20 minutes to make and was absolutely delicious, full of B vitamins, healthy fats and antioxidants.
By incorporating nutrition lessons and cooking classes into the show, the contestants will be better armed to enter their life in the real world again because they will know not only what healthy food is but why it works also. I felt bad for the character, Koli, who when given a month to return home to his friends and family, instead ran off to Las Vegas in order to avoid the temptation that being around those he loves would bring with it. Then he also said it was hard to eat his fish and vegetable dinner when the college kids he was living with were eating pizza and burgers. While he did make the right choice during the show, what happens when he goes home and is no longer trying to win? If we really want to talk about changing lives, we need to provide the tools to maintain that change, not just the quick fix of 6 months with Jillian Michaels and whatever the other guy's name is.

the Importance of D

If anything, this semester I've learned the importance of Vitamin D. You may know that we get a lot of vitamin D from sunlight. When we go outside, a form of vitamin D is absorbed through receptors in our skin where it is picked up by cholesterol (one of the many very important roles cholesterol plays in our bodies, surprise, cholesterol is not all bad!!!) and brought to the liver. There is is transformed into intermediate form for storage or for use through out the body. The stored form of Vitamin D is known as 25-OH Vitamin D and we can get this level tested through a simple blood test. Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 are both precursors to the active form of Vitamin D in our bodies. Vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol is found in fortified foods like milk and butter. Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol and this is the kind we get from the sun but is also the more common supplement form.

Vitamin D is a powerful antioxidant and may be our best bet for protecting ourselves against cancer! It's interesting to me that this all important nutrient is best obtained from spending time outdoors in direct sunlight without sunscreen and yet we've become so fearful of skin cancer that we avoid our best source of what may actually prevent that cancer.

This summer, I am going to do a little research on myself. There is some thought that it's a vitamin D deficiency that causes fair skinned people like me to get sun burned. Since there is no family history of melanoma in my family, I am going to see if raising my stores of vitamin D will prevent sunburns when exposed to the sun up to 4 hours without sunscreen. Of course, when I hike 14ers or spend any significant time at much higher, exposed elevations I will appropriately apply the sunblock, but if I am going to a ball game or sitting on a patio enjoying a summer beverage, I am going SPF free. With a hat on. As part of my experiement I am going to test my vitamin D levels intermittently to monitor for toxicity (which can occur with supplementing which I will do in the beginning).

And in case you are interested as to the other benefits of a little Vitamin D, low levels have been linked to high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease, and the onset of autimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Hashimoto's (a thyroid condition in which your thyroid fluctuates between being too active and underactive).

So do your body a huge favor and make it a goal to get outside. The recommendation is for as little as 15 mintues a day in direct sunlight when the sun is at it's highest point. Get as much of your body exposed as is appropriate and you may absorb up to 500 IU's in that time period. And make sure you are getting adequate amounts of good fats (avocado, salmon, flax seeds. coconut) in your diet so you are able to move that vitamin D from your skin to the rest of your body!

Sneaking it in

5 a day. That's the USDA's recommendation for fruit and vegetable servings. Unfortunately, that is a rather poor recommendation and yet for many people, that's a difficult goal to accomplish. Some days, I find it hard to get as many green veggies and brightly colored fruits in as I would like. Recently though, I bought a blender and I've been using it to create some fun breakfast smoothies. Smoothies are a super easy way to get more of both fruits and vegetables in your body. One of my favorite suggestions came from a fellow student when she recommended putting kale into a smoothie. Now I couldn't imagine having one without it. If you have a juicer, you could juice kale, celery and carrots and add that to a smoothie. I also freeze a banana and a large handful of berries in the blender container the night before so I don't need to use ice and the tough work is done for the next morning. Avocados make a great addition to smoothies too. The buttery texture and mild taste of avocados really enhances the overall product. Your smoothie is really only limited to the fruits and vegetables you have available, so the next time you are at the store, load up on a variety and don't forget the kale!

Springing ahead

Once again, I'd like to reiterate that I am a terrible blogger. So I've decided to change, to designate one day a week to post something new. Today I had to go on antibiotics for a sinus infection that I've had for 4 weeks. Clearly I was trying to fight the good fight naturally. I've been taking my probiotics, started on digestive enzymes and eating lots of vitamin C. I guess my body didn't think that was enough. Sometimes, we just get sick. I've noticed my roommate doesn't get sick though...ever or at least not in the 18 months I've known him. This is a guy who works out 7+ times a week, does not touch sugar, drinks alcohol rarely and lives a low stress life, it seems. His commitment to his lifestyle is tangible and admirable. And apparently, very beneficial to his immune system. I've been thinking I should commit to doing exactly what he does and see what affects it has on my body. There may just be something to it! Have a great weekend!