Have I Told You to Get Your Vitamin D?

A couple of days ago I waxed rhapsodic over getting enough vitamin D. Yes, it’s a topic I’ve covered before, but it’s one I’ll keep beating on until the heat death of the universe. We’re told from the time we in kindergarten that you need to get your vitamin C to help stay healthy, but the same isn’t true of Vitamin D, and it’s arguably a more important nutrient than vitamin C.

How bad is the disparity in concern with vitamin C over the concern with vitamin D?

Bad enough that I’ll bet you’ve never heard of a parental admonition to make sure to get enough vitamin D. Not only do we not stress getting enough vitamin D, we actively try to make our kids vitamin D deficient.

Don’t believe me?

Since not every parent buys vitamins for their kids, and not every parent makes sure they get enough dietary vitamin D, the sun is a kid’s number one source of vitamin D. But what are today’s parents telling their kids about the sun?

Stay out of the sun, cover up, don’t forget your sunscreen.

The thing is, it only takes a few minutes of sun exposure to get your vitamin D requirements, especially if you’re out at noontime. Like I am every day with my boys. So go take a walk in the sun, and get your vitamin D.

Glad I got that out of my system, for now.

Why?

Because today isn’t about vitamin D. it’s about zinc.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about zinc, mostly because of the Lung Pao Sicken and all the research being done on it. One of the common themes that keeps cropping up is that zinc helps your immune response, and there are studies showing it may help shorten the duration of the common cold.

So, short version, you need zinc for a strong immune system;

  • For adult men, 11 mg/ day.
  • For adult women, 8 mg/day, unless pregnant or breastfeeding.

So, in addition to your daily walk for vitamin D, make sure you’re getting your zinc. Dietary sources:

  • Meat
  • Whole grains
  • Beans
  • Nuts

Or, I suppose, you could supplement. Whatever you do, get your zinc.