With it being the off-season for most of us, pre-season for some, and those in Ontario, Canada in a full-out lockdown, now is the perfect time to discuss what some refer to as the “sunshine vitamin” - Vitamin D. Research has shown that Vitamin D may play a role in regulating mood and fighting depression. In addition, a Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause many debilitating symptoms, including:
- Tiredness, aches and pains;
- Bone and/or muscle pain that may cause difficulties with tasks such as climbing stairs; and
- Stress fractures.
Let’s just eat a variety of foods and that should suffice. No problem, right? Here’s the problem - Vitamin D is hard to come by without the sun and some special attention to our diets. Spending more time indoors, which has become a constant struggle since the COVID-19 pandemic began, can lead to a Vitamin D deficiency. The following foods contain Vitamin D:
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Egg (yolk portion)
- Shrimp
- Mushrooms
- Milk (fortified)
- Yogurt (fortified)
- Orange juice (fortified)
In the coming weeks over the course of our next posts, you’ll learn that we prefer obtaining our vitamins and minerals mainly through real food. That being said, given the difficulty in obtaining sufficient amounts of Vitamin D through sun exposure and diet (especially during the winter months in Canada), a supplement (i.e. softgels or liquid) may be worth considering. With anything related to health and diet, please consult your doctor to see if this is right for you.
If you have any questions, comments or would like to suggest a nutrition topic for us to cover, please click on the “Email” button below to send us your thoughts.
We'd love to see what you can cook up incorporating foods with Vitamin D! Upload your meals to Instagram and tag @speed.agility.fitness & #MatchFit.
Take care,
David & Inga
