Sunrays - we need you - Vitamin D3

Hey guys! Now it is time for some health sharings again :) I will keep sharing about the vitamins I find important in my daily life with you - these posts are in collaboration with my fave vitamin brand Elexir Pharma. Next up is Vitamin D3, a vegan option of Vitamin D with 4000 i.e. Vitamin D per capsule, extracted from lichen that grows naturally on rocks and rock outcrops.I believe this has been one of my most important supplements through out my past years, at least for the winters I have spent in Sweden. Vitamin D3 is formed in the skin when exposed to sunlight, and since the sun is not high enough in the Nordic region for most of the year and days we can get a big lack of this vitamin. When I am in the tropics or during the summers I don't feel it's as needed, but I have felt a big difference energy wise from eating D3 vitamin during the dark periods. For a few years ago when I had spent many months in the dark and cold, and I did a blood test to check my levels of different vitamins in my body - I had a big lack of D vitamin. I ate supplements for a long period and I did the same test again after a year, and it was a major difference. Since I am eating mostly a vegan diet, it's even more important to add an additional boost. The dominant sources for getting vitamin D3 through the diet are mainly fish, but also bird meat and eggs. For those who choose a vegan diet, there is really only one natural source, wild-growing mushrooms. Another important detail to mention is that sunblock's actually blocks the intake of vitamin D. At least I had the belief before that when I went on a vacation during the winter to a warmer country, I kind of filled up my levels. But if you during that time use sunscreen it actually doesn't give you a full effect. The use of sunscreen creams if obviously important to protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun rays - but use it with care! At least for me, I only use sun block when I am really pale or if I know I will be in the sun for very long and there is a risk for a sunburn. Otherwise I rather not use it at all and instead choose to stay a shorter period in the sun so I don't burn. It works perfectly for me :)Vitamin D3 contributes, among other things, to the normal functioning of the immune system and to maintaining normal bone structure, dental status and muscle function <3You can find Elexir Pharmas products in most health food shops I have been to in Stockholm and if you want to buy them online you can find them at Apotea.se (click for link) for example. I will mark this in every post I do with them, that this is a company I have tried out and bought by choice for many years. It is a family friend who started this company many years ago - and I truly recommend their products in general. I also like to support locally produced brands rather than buying imported stuff. Their B12 is also Vegan.You can read about it more on Elexir Pharmas webpage in Swedish HERE (click for link)And if you want to buy the product online you find it HERE (click for link) More information below coming from Elexir Pharmas webpage In the Nordic region, vitamin D is a deficiencyVitamin D is formed in the skin when exposed to sunlight. The vitamin is a fat-soluble nutrient that is absorbed through the skin and transported to the liver and kidneys for continued synthesis into the active form of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D has several important functions in the body, including phosphate and calcium metabolism, regulation of the calcium balance in the skeleton and teeth, maintenance of the function of the nervous system and immune system, etc. Affects important systems in the bodyVitamin D has the ability to affect several of the body's functions, which in turn affects our health in a variety of ways. Vitamin D has an important role in the regulation of calcium and phosphate levels in the blood, the hormone balance is regulated to a certain extent by vitamin D and the vitamin is also needed for the nervous system and muscles to function normally. Vitamin D affects the white blood cells that have an important function for the immune system and can thereby strengthen the body's defenses. Studies have also shown that a supplement of vitamin D has contributed to everything from a better mood to a reduced risk of being overweight, so there are many areas left to research. Usually with low levels in the bodyDuring the summer months, the sun's radiation on the skin can be seen as the most important source of vitamin D, but from late autumn until spring it is not possible to count on any significant synthesis of vitamin D in the body, as UV-B radiation is filtered into the atmosphere when the sun is standing low. Until just a few years ago, many assumed that the synthesized amount of vitamin D that is produced in the body during the summer should cover the need even during the winter season, because vitamin D is fat-soluble and thus can be stored in the body. However, it is now known that the amount synthesized is often not sufficient, but only certain people have produced the amount needed to cover a greater part of the need even during the winter months. Thus, many people risk getting too low levels of vitamin D during parts of the year and thus also increase the risk of suffering from deficiency symptoms and diseases linked to vitamin D deficits.