Our dietary supplements of Vitamin D are fulfilled by merely venturing out in the sun every day. Coronavirus lockdown has forced many people to be deprived of the sunshine vitamin D. Though our skin makes it while we are out in the sun, the lockdown has definitively put a brake on it.
The importance of Vitamin D cannot be missed, being vitally important for healthy teeth, muscles and bones, a lack of vitamin D can lead to a bone deformity illness or rickets in children, and a bone weakness condition called osteomalacia in adults. Not to forget, Vitamin D is critical to boosting your immunity and helping to fight off the deadly coronavirus.
Sunlight is one of the major sources of vitamin D, an essential nutrient for the body. Ensuring adequate vitamin D protects against monsoon diseases, cold and flu keeps your bones strong preventing depression, muscle weakness, and other ailments. Currently, as more and more people are staying indoors due to the lockdown, cases of Vitamin D deficiency are becoming common.
Vitamin D Facts- Do You Know?
- When our skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes Vitamin D on its own. No wonder that Vitamin D is called the Sunshine Vitamin.
- Depending on where you are staying, 20 minutes of sunlight exposure is enough to meet your daily Vitamin D requirements.
- Sunlight exposure accounts for approximately 90% of our total vitamin D.
- Food completes 10% of our Vitamin D requirements.
Though medical specialists say that it is best to spend about 30 minutes to an hour on the balcony or terrace, preferably between 11 am and 2 pm. However, lockdown and the monsoon season is depriving us of the sunshine! The question remains, how do you get your daily requirement of Vitamin D?
Meeting the Daily Requirements of Vitamin D to Boost Immunity
Sunshine vitamin is critical and its importance cannot be ignored. Vitamin D maintains our normal blood levels and ensures that bone mineralization, nerve conduction functions are carried out. Not to forget the general cellular body function is met.
Meeting your daily requirements of Vitamin D could mean depending upon Vitamin D supplements. Although these supplements are regulated and often considered very safe, taking too much may definitely prove to be dangerous in the long run. You must be extra vigilant of how much of Vitamin D supplements you ane your family are taking-
Daily Intake of Vitamin D supplements to Boost Immunity-
| Age | Daily Vitamin D Supplement Requirement |
| Infants (under 12 months) | Less than 25 micrograms |
| Children (one to ten years) | Less than 50 micrograms |
| Adults | Less than 100 micrograms |
High-Risk Groups Who Need Vitamin-D Supplements
Though everyone needs vitamin D, the requirement of this magical vitamin is more for high-risk groups, so it is advisable for them as discussed below to consult their virtual doctor over the Gigadocs practice management app to stock on vitamin D supplements.
- Children younger than five years old
- Pregnant or breastfeeding young mothers
- People with dark skin
- Obese individuals
- Elderly over 65 years
Vitamin D and B12 deficiencies can lead to depression, anxiety, and panic attacks in the times of Coronavirus. Thus, its importance cannot be missed. Your virtual doctor will ask for your daily routine, level of activities, or exercise you are practicing before prescribing you an anti-anxiety tablet.
Vitamin D Foods, Vegetables, and Fruits
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means we need to eat fat to absorb Vitamin D, one of the main reasons why our body does not make Vitamin D on its own. Here are top foods which are rich sources of Vitamin D-
| Food Sources | Vitamin D fulfillment | Food Quantity |
| Whole Milk | 6.3μg (32% DV) | 16oz glass |
| Skim Milk | 5.9μg (29% DV) | 16oz glass |
| Buttermilk | 3.2μg (16% DV) | 1 cup |
| Hot Cocoa | 2.8μg (14% DV) | 1 cup |
| Hard-Boiled Eggs | 1.1μg (6% DV) | 1 egg |
| Plain Yogurt | 0.2μg (1% DV) | 1 cup |
| Raw meat cuts | 1.0–61.0μg | 1 kg lamb |
| Raw meat cuts | 0.0–14. 0μg | 1 kg poultry |
| Wild Salmon | 249.0μg | 1 kg |
| Farmed trout | 97.80μg | 1 kg |
| Mushroom | 0.2 μg (1% DV) | 100 gm |
(μg = milligram), (%DV = Daily Value)
Symptoms of Vitamin-D Deficiency
You have Vitamin D deficiency if you are experiencing any of these warning signs-
- Mood swings/feeling blue
- Muscle pain
- Lethargy and tiredness
- Joint and back pain
- Headache
- Hair fall
Consulting a Virtual Doctor for Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms
In these testing Covid-19 times and beyond, Gigadocs is committed to providing you and your family a safe mode of consultation from the privacy of your home. Book a virtual consultation appointment for vitamin D deficiency symptoms like hair fall, muscle or joint pain for you and your family over a video call on the Gigadocs E-healthcare App
Gigadocs is an intelligent practice management software, with customized digital Medicare solutions to help you with your complete family’s healthcare needs. Gigadocs E-Healthcare app helps you with complete health record maintenance solutions, including secure storage of your digital records, digital prescription solutions suited to your healthcare requirements.
Download the Gigadocs E-Healthcare app from-
- IOS App – apple.co/2W2iG4V
- Android App – bit.ly/33AQoRC
To know more and schedule a Virtual Consultation demo, e-mail, at info@gigadocs.com
