Blue Monday which happens fall on January 21 in 2019 is considered to be the most depressing day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The calculation used to figure this out considers weather conditions, debt levels, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of need to take action. While the theory of Blue Monday has been disputed, it is -23 Celsius outside as I write this, so I am kind of inclined to agree with the sentiment of it all.
This little cold snap, the first major temperature dip of the winter, along with January’s lack of sunlight has got me thinking about Vitamin D. Apparently if you’re from Canada or the Northern U.S.A., you have a 70% chance of being vitamin D deficient. One can only imagine that vegetarians and vegans are even more likely to be deficient in this crucial vitamin given that the best sources seem to come from animal products and of course the sun.
Vitamin D has been getting a lot of press lately so I couldn’t help but take note. By all accounts, being low in vitamin D has all kinds of nasty effects like autoimmune problems, possible increased risk of MS and certain cancers, arthritis, heart disease and type 2 diabetes to name a few. Bottom line is that you don’t want to be low in Vitamin D.
Because the average person gets 80% of their Vitamin D from sun exposure and only 20% from food sources, we in the North are at a greater risk of not getting the sunlight we need to maintain our health. In the summer months we need about 10 to 15 minutes of good sunlight exposure to receive the health benefits of UVB rays. After that you need to sun screen up. The winter months on the other hand pose a problem as one cannot get enough Vitamin D from the sun when you’re bundled up against the cold and the it sets at 4:30 PM.
My immediate thought was that we need to consume more foods rich in Vitamin D if we want to maintain good health. The ugly reality for vegetarians and vegans is that the best sources of this vitamin are foods like fatty fish, cod liver oil, eggs, and liver as well as some other fortified foods. The only vegetable I could find with any real amount of Vitamin D is the lowly mushroom, so we need to look at the fortified foods we eat. Some of the best ones for vegetarians are going to be fortified soy and almond milk, cereals and some tofu. It’s best to read the labels when shopping to make sure you’re making the best choices, but even then you may not be getting enough of the D.
The reading I’ve done has led me to believe that the answer for vegetarian and vegans is to take a supplement. By all accounts an adult who gets minimal sunshine should have at least 600 IU and no more than 4000 IU / day of Vitamin D. IU refers to International Units and in the case of Vitamin D, 1 IU is about .025 micrograms (mcg). It is always recommended that you ask your doctor before taking supplements.
When looking at supplements keep in mind that there are two types of Vitamin D, D2 and D3. D2 comes from fortified foods, some plant sources and supplements while D3 comes from the sun, animal sources as well as fortified foods and supplements. Research seems to point to the fact that D3 is the more effective of the two, so when looking for a supplement it makes sense to buy D3. One last thing… Many Vitamin D supplements are made from animal products so check to make sure your’s is vegetarian friendly.
If after all that you’ve got a hankering for mushrooms, this mushroom chestnut stroganoff recipe is so good you’ll make it again and again. It’s been on our list for 20 years and whenever I think far enough ahead to make it the whole family appreciates it. This is a perfect meal on a cold day. It would be an excellent dish for special events like potlucks, thanks giving and the like.