How to Get Vitamin D During the Winter

As delightful as it is wrapping up warm in snuggly knits and looking forward to Christmas, one of the downsides of winter is the shortening of the days. For many of us, it means waking up for work when it’s pitch black, and leaving the office when it’s dark outside.

With the constant darkness, it means getting enough vitamin D can be difficult. Yet not having enough vitamin D can affect your health in many ways.

Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium and helps strengthen the bones, and it also improves brain function and development. Oh, and it benefits your skin too.

As vitamin D helps with inflammation, having enough of it is crucial for skin cell growth, repair, and metabolism as well as preventing skin aging. So, if you notice that the quality of your skin isn’t great during the colder months, it may be due to a lack of vitamin D.

But when there’s a shortage of daylight during winter, how are we supposed to stock up on vitamin D? Read on to learn how.

Eat the Right Foods

One of the best ways to keep up your vitamin D intake is by adjusting your diet.

Fan of fish? Great! Fatty fish and seafood are among the best natural food sources of vitamin D. Salmon is a great option, especially fresh, wild salmon. Just two and a half servings of salmon a week helps you consume all the vitamin D you need.

Alternatively, tuna, mackerel, cod, and oysters are also high in vitamin D. By indulging in half a dozen oysters, you’re consuming 60% of your daily vitamin D needs.

If you don’t like the taste of fish or are a vegetarian, don’t worry as there are plenty of other options.

 Mushrooms are packed full of vitamin D, so freely toss them into your lunches and dinners to increase your intake. There are even portobello mushrooms sold on the market that have been exposed to UV lights to boost the content of vitamin D. Fortified milk, soymilk, and tofu are also great sources of vitamin D.

Eggs are high in vitamin D too, so consider swapping the cereal for eggs on toast for breakfast. Make sure you eat the yolk – or it doesn’t count!

Spend Time Outside

It’s difficult during the winter months, but even spending 15 minutes a day outside in the sun can help boost your vitamin D intake. After all, vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin!

Why not try to go for a short stroll during your lunch break? Not only will it up your vitamin D intake, but a daily walk outside is beneficial for your mental and physical health too.

Don’t forget to protect your face from the harsh rays of the sun though, even in the winter.

We love the NeoCutis Micro Day SPF 30. The quality formula not only protects your skin from the beating rays of the sun, but it also works to prevent aging, nourishing and revitalizing the skin. It’s a win-win!

Take Supplements

For many people, taking a daily vitamin D supplement is the easiest way to increase their intake.

After all, sunlight can be unpredictable in many places during the winter months, and as mentioned it’s easy to get stuck indoors during daylight hours.

If you decide to go down this route, be sure to discuss your thoughts with your doctor first. A medical professional can recommend a high-quality supplement, along with dosage instructions.

As with consuming all supplements, it’s always important to take them alongside a healthy diet. If you can, incorporate your supplement with a diet consisting of some of the Vitamin D-rich foods listed above.

Use Products with Vitamin D

While beauty products packed full of vitamin C are all the rage, there’s a new contender in the world of skincare. Say hello to beauty products that are infused with vitamin D.

While the application is, of course, topical, skin can benefit from such products the same way it would benefit from absorbing vitamin D via other methods.

The application of topical vitamin D helps calm down inflammatory flare-ups and helps repair skin. The best part about vitamin D’s anti-inflammatory properties is that it helps with the root of many skin issues. Whether you’re suffering from acne, redness, or eczema, the use of topical vitamin D can address these problems.

Another plus is that vitamin D products are anti-oxidative, so they can help neutralize the effects of heavy pollution on the skin. This is perfect if you’re living and working in a big city!

Tu’eL’s vitamin cream is a moisturizing formula that works particularly well for younger skin, lubricating the skin and protecting it from environmental damage. It’s packed full of plenty of vitamins to put your skin in good health including vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, and, you guessed it – vitamin D.

For more beauty advice, check out these easy hacks for super-smooth skin.