Budiman's

How to Get Vitamin D in Your Diet

By Julie Upton
From Health magazine

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily for adults younger than 50, and 800 to 1,000 IU for adults 50 and older. But many experts now agree that most of us need even more—up to 2,000 IU a day—to raise our levels high enough to fight diseases .

How do you know where you stand? First, talk to your doctor about a “serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D” test, considered the gold standard for measuring blood levels of vitamin D. While women who live at latitudes above 37—in cities like Minneapolis, Boston, and San Francisco—may be at greater risk for D-deficiency, “every woman should consider getting checked,” says Cedric Garland, MD, a leading vitamin D researcher. Then try these tricks to keep your level of vitamin D in or above the recommended safe zone (40 to 60 ng/ml).

Eat naturally D-rich foods. Eat oily fish such as salmon (360 IU), sardines (250 IU), and tuna (200 IU) a few times a week.

Go for fortified foods. Look for D in milk, orange juice, and other fruit juices (100 IU), soy milk (120 IU), butter substitutes (80 IU), and some cereals and yogurts.

Take a supplement. Add a calcium-and–vitamin D supplement containing at least 400 IU of D daily. (Most multis contain this much, and many calcium-vitamin D supplements contain 1,000 IU per capsule.)

Enjoy the sun. Whoa! Is that really possible without hurting your skin ? Experts say yes. Just 5 to 10 minutes is usually enough.

Battle Aging With Vitamin D

A few minutes of daily sunlight can help your body make much of the vitamin D it needs. Is that bad for your skin as you age? Not if you don't overdo it, many experts say, and the payoff could be huge.

More than half of all women are thought to be deficient in vitamin D, and the latest evidence from Johns Hopkins University confirms that failing to get enough boosts your risk of death by 26%.

That's why it's probably worth getting your levels checked with a simple blood test. If you're low, eat more D–rich foods: dairy, fish like salmon and tuna, and fortified cereals and orange juice. Talk to your doctor about supplements too.

How to Get Vitamin D Safely

By Julie Upton
For each minute that you spend in peak summer sunlight, your body can produce about 1,000 IU of vitamin D. By comparison, you'd have to drink 10 eight-ounce glasses of milk to get that much.

In short, a little UV exposure can go a long way, says Min-Wei Christine Lee, MD, MPH, a board-certified dermatologist and director of The East Bay Laser and Skin Care Center in Walnut Creek, California. Follow these rules to stay safe while you're getting some sun.

Time it right: If you have a fair complexion, you'll need just 5 to 10 minutes of sunshine on your arms, legs, or back—without sunscreen (yes, it shuts down the production of D)—between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. three days a week, Dr. Lee says. Women who have medium skin tones may need 15 to 20 minutes' exposure, and darker-skinned women may need up to 30 minutes' worth. And remember: Do use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on your face and wear a wide-brimmed hat, especially if you're going to be outside for any length of time.

Multitask: Get your vitamin D while running your errands—walking into and out of stores, driving with the window down on sunny days, working in your garden, walking your dog.

Be extra careful: If you have had skin cancer or have a family history of the disease, ask your doctor for recommendations tailored to you. Sun exposure may be a health risk.