How to Avoid Vitamin D Deficiency While Staying at Home

When was the last time you ran behind a bus or chased a crowd to board the subway on your way to work? When was the last time you sat comfortably by the balcony and soaked up the morning sun without worrying about missing a Zoom call? These may seem like non-threatening changes in your life when compared to other big changes imposed by continuous lockdown due to pandemic, but they can have long term adverse effects on body and mind in the form of Vitamin D. lack.

Forced to stay indoors, people have become lethargic, have gained weight, and have developed various vitamin deficiencies. With minimal exposure to sunlight, the main source of vitamin D, we are putting our bone health and immune system at risk. Vitamin D helps keep the body functioning well by making bones healthy and strengthening the immune system. It is also known to prevent cancer, says Sikh A Sharma, celebrity nutritionist and founder of ‘Fat to Slim’.

She elaborates on Vitamin D deficiency:

Importance of Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays an important role in our body by keeping us away from health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, bacterial infections, immune disorders, rapid aging, certain types of cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

Initially, vitamin D deficiency does not show any noticeable symptoms, but acute deficiency can lead to muscle cramps, back pain, fatigue and depression and sleep disorders among many other disorders.

Getting Enough Vitamin D When Homebound

Sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D. One should try to soak for about 15 to 20 minutes by getting up early in the morning at least twice a week.

There are various foods rich in vitamin D such as cod liver oil, coriander, oranges, yogurt, paneer, garlic, dark chocolate, black mustard, mushrooms, turmeric and Kashmiri garlic that can help boost their immunity. Naturally.

Vitamin D supplements available at medical stores can also be taken, however, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking medical supplements.

Eating foods rich in vitamin D

Take two cloves of garlic or 4-5 cloves of Kashmiri garlic early morning on an empty stomach and after dinner.

A little dark chocolate once a day is also a good source of vitamin D.

Eating mushrooms once a week helps in balancing the vitamin D levels in the body. To speed up the process of increasing the vitamin levels, one should try to include bajra or ragi roti in the diet as well.

Consumption of black mustard seeds and half a teaspoon turmeric powder is helpful in increasing the level of vitamin D.

Can Too Much Vitamin D Be Harmful?

Oddly enough, one cannot get too much vitamin D from the sun, but an overdose of supplements can lead to various problems. Vitamin D toxicity is, thankfully, quite rare, but it can lead to symptoms of hypercalcemia including: nausea, increased thirst and urination, and poor appetite.

Don’t fret, and try to live a more natural life by eating seasonal foods and home-cooked meals and being active in day-to-day life. These simple exercises will keep the body and mind fit.