Vitamin D-tails
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | October 29, 2007
The wonders of Vitamin D have been in the news a lot of late, but with all the conflicting recommendations it’s hard to know if we mamas should be supplementing or not.
Vitamin D, or the “sunshine vitamin”, is a fat-soluble hormone that the body synthesizes naturally. A bit of a wonder vitamin, it can strengthen your bones, prevent different types of cancer, ward off multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disorders and fight infections.
Health Canada continues to recommend 200 International Units (IU) daily for adults from 19 to 50 (including pregnant and nursing women). The Canadian Paediatric Society is now recommending that pregnant and breastfeeding women take 2000 IU daily. And the Canadian Cancer Society recommends adults take 1000 IU daily during the fall and winter. So how much Vitamin D do women – pregnant, breastfeeding or not – need?
We took that question to local nutritionist, Stephanie Hodges of Vitalis Nutrition Design, a nutrition consulting company, as one of her areas of focus is pregnant and breastfeeding women. Part of the problem, she says, is that there is no one size fits all recommendation. If you work inside all the time you’d need more than a mum who is playground bound day after day. Signs you may be lacking in Vitamin D include lethargy and low energy, and by February most of us who live in more northern climes could probably use a boost.
Stephanie recommends trying to get your Vitamin D from food sources whenever possible, fortified foods such as milk and cereal, eggs, salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines. And since sunlight causes our bodies to make Vitamin D, daily exposure is helpful – not always easy with the weather we’ve been having. Stephanie is also a big fan of cod liver oil for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and as a general supplement during the winter months, which may take some of us back to our childhoods, not necessarily in a good way.
The general feeling is that Health Canada’s recommendations are too low, but too much of a good thing like Vitamin D is not necessarily a good thing, as it could result in permanent kidney damage.
So rather than self-diagnosing, if you think you may be Vitamin D deficient your best bet is to talk with a nutritionist or dietitian.
Note: Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for exclusively breastfed babies, and we’d recommend touching base with your doctor on this, or if you’re consulting a nutritionist for yourself, ask about your kids as well.
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[...] much anything we can to stay healthy, including being more vigilant about getting our daily dose of Vitamin D. This “sunshine vitamin” helps the body use calcium and phosphorous to build and maintain [...]