Vitamin D

xXxBlissxXx
xXxBlissxXx Posts: 33 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've just been told that with my last lot of blood results, I have a Vitamin D deficiency.

I know you get a lot of Vitamin D from the sun, but how would I go about introducing Vitamin D into my diet. I'm already on Forceval (a multi-vitamin) and calcichew tabs, as I've had anorexia in the past. I've been given some Vitamin D tablets now by my GP but I'd like to try and make sure it doesn't happen again as I know this can cause defects in your bones.

Thanks for any advice!

Replies

  • xXxBlissxXx
    xXxBlissxXx Posts: 33 Member
    *bump* Anyone?
  • preaser
    preaser Posts: 85 Member
    I've been taking vitamin D supplement for a year now and I think I have more energy. Vitamin D is in milk, but I'm not sure what else. You can probably do a google search to find foods rich in Vitamin D.
  • GCLyds
    GCLyds Posts: 206 Member
    I take the upper limit of 2000 IU per day. If you are deficient you may need more than that to start. I am not so that is what I take for maintenance.

    Make sure to keep getting tested until you are not deficient. Vitamin D is cheap and its really hard to OD on.
  • xXxBlissxXx
    xXxBlissxXx Posts: 33 Member
    Ah ok, thanks! Will have to look into it a bit more then.
  • amydee714
    amydee714 Posts: 232 Member
    I am also Vitamin D deficient. Initally my doctor had me on prescription Vitamin D. Now he has me tke 2000 iu of over the counter pills a day. I was diagnosed a year ago. He will be re-testing me in 6 months. When he tested me recently he said that my numbers were coming up but were not fully there yet. He also said that with Vitamin D if you overtake there is a chance of toxicity, so I would make sure to talk to your doctor and make sure if you are going to take a Vitamin you take the proper amount and for the amount of time he/she suggests.
  • Lizsullie
    Lizsullie Posts: 70 Member
    Hi! You probably don't get too much vitamin D from the sun given that you live in England... (I'm from Ireland and have a similar problem). Probably best to take the supplements for now. Dairy products are often fortified with vitamin D so make sure you check the labels and pick ones that have added D. I think there's a Tropicana orange juice that's fortified too... if you're a juice drinker.

    Good luck!
  • the7gerbers
    the7gerbers Posts: 1
    I take 10,000 a day and no problems. Vitamin D is SO important and the standard recommendations tend to be way too low. If you look at what your body would make in a half hour in the sun, it is wayyyy more than what we are being told to take. The connection between low vitamin D and a number of serious health issues is beginning to be well known. My doc says shes NEVER seen a sign of Vitamin D toxicity, even with folks supplementing at high amounts.

    I live in Ohio, where we can't get any sun to make Vitamin D for much of the year. If I lived farther south, I probably would not take as much. Check out http://www.grassrootshealth.net/ for more information on D and disease prevention.

    I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2011 and my vitamin D was under 30. Today, it is over 70 and I feel better than I ever have, even before I was diagnosed. I hope this helps.
  • AvsFreak
    AvsFreak Posts: 152 Member
    One thing to make sure you are doing is getting enough dietary fat. Vitamin D is fat soluble so you MUST have enough fat in your diet order to absorb it properly.

    My wife struggled with anorexia and bulimia as well and had a basic fear of fat (thinking that fat makes you fat) and never ate anything with fat in it. Now she eats a few tablespoons of peanut/almond butter a day and uses some olive oil in her cooking and it is helping her immensely. All her levels are testing well now.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I take 7,0000 IU's of vitamin D3 a day regardless if it's winter or summer. I just got my blood work done and my D levels were right where they should be.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    My doctor told me the only way to have adequate vitamin D levels is with supplementation. I have a prescription pill I take once a week. Even with taking that, my levels are just barely in the "acceptable" range, so I'll be taking that pill forever.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    I take D3 every day because I'm a cube rat. As far as I know, my D levels are pretty good.
  • april522
    april522 Posts: 388 Member
    I'm taking a vitamin D supplement (gummy chew) daily as well.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    The unfortunate thing is that Vitamin D is not available in many foods naturally, so taking a vitamin D supplement is probably your best bet.

    Foods that have Vitamin D:
    Fatty fish (salmon, cod)
    organ meats
    enriched dairy products

    get 10-15 minutes direct sunlight every day (without sunscreen) in order to help your body make its own supplies as well.

    Be sure not to go crazy with the supplements, because as a fat soluable vitamin it is easy to overdose.
  • Ph4lanx
    Ph4lanx Posts: 213 Member
    2,500iu every day here, regardless of whether I'm in the sun or not. I just take it in a supplement. They're tiny (smaller than half a 5 pence piece) and gel-encased. Easy to take.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    What is with all these prescription Vitamin D supplements?? You can get it OTC. No RX needed. If you need a specific amount then you just take more pills.
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
    I don't have a deficiency of vitamin D, but since it's so important I take a 1000 I.U. liquid gel each day. My husband also takes them. He had a long hospitalization for pneumonia that almost claimed his life, and needs it in his recovery. Now that he's regaining his healthy, we're outside more, but for a while there we were not getting any sun. I also learned what food sources were naturally high in D and we try to incorporate them into our diets. They are fish, with the best ones being salmon, tuna, and sole (flounder), fortified milk, pork, eggs, mushrooms, beef liver (which I cannot develop a taste for), and cheeses are good, too, but Ricotta cheese is one of the best.
  • Elf_Princess1210
    Elf_Princess1210 Posts: 895 Member
    What is with all these prescription Vitamin D supplements?? You can get it OTC. No RX needed. If you need a specific amount then you just take more pills.

    depending on what your blood levels are, you're right.HOWEVER, this is a supplement you've got to be careful with because it is stored in fat cells.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    What is with all these prescription Vitamin D supplements?? You can get it OTC. No RX needed. If you need a specific amount then you just take more pills.

    Unfortunately, supplements are not very well regulated so there is no guarantee that you are getting the dose advertised on the label. If someone has a diagnosed deficiency, they're better off with a prescription supplement so the level delivered is known.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The best natural food sources of vitamin D are fatty fish (salmon, swordfish, trout, halibut) but you'd have to eat a lot of it to reach the recommended daily amount. The sun is the best natural source, but that's not always easy to get especially in cold weather/climates. It is often added to milk since most people drink milk and milk has a high fat content. As was mentioned above you need fat to absorb vitamin D.

    If you are not getting enough from the sun a supplement is your best bet.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    What is with all these prescription Vitamin D supplements?? You can get it OTC. No RX needed. If you need a specific amount then you just take more pills.

    I take prescription for a few reasons
    1. only take it once a week
    2. it's the dosage recommended by my doctor based on my lab results

    But the ultimate reason - I do not pay for prescriptions on my insurance plan. Why would I want to pay for something over the counter when I can get it for free as a prescription???

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