Hello Radical Health Seekers,
It’s midsummer, the temps are hitting 90 degrees here in Texas, and it’s the perfect time to enjoy homemade animal-based icecream (you got the recipe we emailed you Friday?)
It’s also the perfect time to be maxing your Vitamin D levels for winter.
This is especially important if you live north of the 37° latitude line (north of San Francisco, CA or Richmond, VA):
Because north of this line, the sun is too low in the sky during the winter months (roughly November to February) to provide adequate UVB radiation for the skin to synthesize vitamin D efficiently.
The good news is, despite the name, Vitamin D is actually a fat-soluble hormone…
And your body can store it in your adipose tissue, gradually releasing it during the winter.
Vitamin D is crucial for all aspects of your health, including your immune system, sex hormones, bone health, cardiovascular function, mental health, muscle strength, and inflammatory response.
And now is your opportunity to get outside and make some.
Vitamin D supplements pale in comparison to the Vitamin D that’s produced in the body via UV-B hitting the skin during midday sunbathing.
There are so many other things you’re getting from the full light spectrum, that you can’t reduce sunlight to a supplement bottle:
“It’s estimated that insufficient sun exposure may be responsible for 340,000 deaths in the United States and 480,000 deaths in Europe per year, and an increased incidence of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, asthma, type 1 diabetes and myopia.”
Further Reading:
Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem
How to get more sun:
- Start slow! Don’t go from 0 to 100. Instead, gradually build up your tolerance and tan.
- Don’t skip the early morning sun, which primes your body to tolerate more midday sun.
- 11am to 3PM is best for Vitamin D production. But don’t overdo it, you don’t want to burn!
- Download the DMinder App to track your sunbathing sessions.
- Eat an animal-based diet! Foods like liver and steak are rich in many nutrients your body requires in order to safely process UV light from the sun, including Vitamin A, cholesterol, saturated fats and copper.
Be wary of sunglasses. UV light entering our eyes triggers a bunch of positive hormonal responses including melatonin and serotonin production, which we need to safely tan.
How to get more sun when you work in an office
When you work in an office it can be tricky to get sunlight. We understand because we work in an office too! Here’s how we do it!
🌴 Eat lunch outside
📞 Take meetings and work calls outside
👣 Get outside for a daily walk at midday
🌅 Get early morning or late evening sun instead
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏽Find a tribe to work with that loves the sun as much as you do
This week on Instagram:
This week on Radical Health Radio:
Broke in the UK to Titans of the Fitness Industry w/ Jay & Steph | Ep. 71
This week on the Blog:
8 Amazing Beef Tallow Benefits & How To Make It
That’s all from us this week…
Keep thriving!
The Heart & Soil Team
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