Many of us in the western world who consider our diets to be healthy may not know enough about vitamin deficiency to be able to ensure that we are getting the correct amount of nutrients into our bodies.  Modern-day food although often in abundance for many can also be seriously deficient in nutrients including vitamins, for many reasons. Food swamps are the new term for communities where there are many fast food shops and restaurants, while food deserts are communities where food is hard to reach. In both places, you can find vitamin deficiency.

I have blogged about B12 deficiency before so this time I am looking at vitamin D which is a fat-soluble vitamin and therefore needs fat in our diets to transport it around the body and for storage. If you are following a very low-fat diet, therefore, you could be deficient in all of the fat-soluble vitamins – A, E, D and K.

Vitamin D is needed by many parts of the body including the skin, bones and joints and brain to name a few. Vitamin D is very important for reducing inflammation within the body and helps the body to repair damaged cells. Although we can make Vitamin D in the skin through exposure to light, often we cannot make enough so we need to increase our intake of vitamin D rich food. Foods rich in vitamin D include fish, eggs and mushrooms. Sahota (2014) suggests that only recently has it been discovered that although Vitamin D is needed by the body to transport calcium it can also affect many organs including the skin, brain, lungs, muscles, heart and digestive system. Ensuring enough vitamin D in the diet is important for all ages so that the body can function properly. Some foods are also fortified with Vitamin D so next time you are shopping cooking or preparing food for someone always read the label. Also, make sure there is some fat in each meal for transportation of fat-soluble vitamins and try to get some exposure to daylight once a day.