[Magic Monday] Spring is coming

Welcome to Monday!

Ok so I know it’s psychological, but I love September! For the simple fact it signals the start of Spring. I absolutely love Summer and have really missed my Winter sojourn to the sun for a couple of weeks, so I'm going to make the most of the Summer this year.

I recently shared the importance of Vitamin D for our immune system and recent studies have shown that a higher level of Vitamin D is protective against COVID-19. However, our long term mandate of “slip, slop, slap” has to be put into perspective. A little bit of Vitamin D each day is critical to our well being. I would really encourage you to get out into the sun for morning walks at this time of the year to get a bit of sunshine.

If we start slow and low, we can build up our ability to have a bit of sunshine before the Summer months arrive. Getting 20 minutes per day before 11 am this time of the year is good for us. We've just come out of a COVID Winter, which means we have all been pretty much locked up inside. Grab a cap and T-shirt and get out in the morning sun so that when Summer comes you have built up a bit of resistance. There is nothing worse than getting out there and burning the first day we have any warmth in the sun.

My husband and I once went to Greece for a month and I was amazed at how less intense the sun was there. I could easily walk around with just a hat and T-shirt and never ever got burnt. Here in the Australian sun I can’t get out for even 10 minutes between 11 and 3 or I burn. My goal this year is to build up slowly and little by little get some sun. So, rather than smothering ourselves in cream, which is usually full of chemicals, get out into the sun, get early morning exposure and stay out of the sun in the heat of the day because we really need sun exposure for our Vitamin D.

So get out and walk or do a bit of gardening in the coming months to boost your immune system.

Have a great week,

Carolyn

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) provides a valuable source of vitamin D and is also the major cause of skin cancer. For our population in sunny Australia, there is a fine line in balancing these beneficial and harmful effects of sunlight (UVR) exposure.

This pilot study aimed to determine whether the current sun exposure recommendations of 2–3 hours of weekly sun exposure in winter and only a few minutes of sun exposure per day to face, arms and hands (or equivalent area of skin) at mid-morning or mid-afternoon in summer (three to six times this amount in people with dark skin), would maintain vitamin D at adequate levels in a population of Melbourne adults.

Ninety-eight participants achieved at least the minimum recommended ‘few minutes per day’ of summer sun exposure, with most receiving considerably more exposure time. 69.3% of participants who met or exceeded the recommended sun exposure guidelines were adequate in vitamin D (defined as having 50nmol/L or more of 25(OH)D). Most participants (83.3%) who did not meet the recommended exposure times in summer had inadequate levels of vitamin D (less than 50nmol/l of 25(OHD)).

Read More..

A three-year study by researchers at the Cumming School of Medicine's McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed there is no benefit in taking high doses of vitamin D. The conclusion was that, contrary to what was predicted, vitamin D supplementation at doses higher than those recommended by Health Canada or Osteoporosis Canada were not associated with an increase in bone density or bone strength. More research is required to determine if high doses may actually compromise bone health. This may be due to genetic polymorphisms, liver or kidney issues, however, this was not studied, unfortunately.

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Did you know?

UV radiation levels change throughout the day - lower in the morning, peaking in the middle part of the day, and gradually dropping again throughout the afternoon. In the early morning and late afternoon (especially in the southern parts of NSW), UV levels may be too low to make vitamin D.

When UV levels are below 3, most people do not require sun protection unless you:

• have very fair skin (skin type 1)
• are at high altitudes (mountains)
• are outside for extended periods of time
• are near highly reflective surfaces like water or snow.

The more skin you have exposed, the faster your body will make vitamin D.

However, exposing about 15% of the body (hands and arms or lower legs) for the recommended time periods should produce enough vitamin D for most people.

Sources:

Interesting Facts About Vitamin D

Vitamin D and sun protection

Recipe of the week

This recipe is sourced from BBC goodfood

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing over the pastry
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced into 3 cm / 1?" pieces
• 250 g / 8 ozs frozen spinach or substitute leaks if oxalate/histamine issues
• 6 ready-cooked chicken thighs (or see tip, below)
• 350 ml / 12 fl ozs hot chicken stock
• ? Tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 200 g / 7 ozs frozen peas
• 200 ml / 7 fl ozs half-fat crème fra?che
• ? small bunch tarragon, leaves finely chopped
• 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 270 g / 9? ozs pack filo pastry or top with gluten free pastry, mashed potato or mashed pumpkin

Get the recipe here

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