Cold, dry weather is ideal for walking and boosting your immunity.
Vitamin D is essential for the proper functioning of our body because it participates in the mineralization of bones, cartilage and teeth. It also benefits muscles, blood clotting, hormone regulation, the immune system, the skin and the brain. It is produced 70% by the skin under the effect of ultraviolet rays from the sun and 30% through food. The more we expose ourselves to the sun, the more we stock up on vitamin D. It’s easy in summer, less so in winter. “The light is weak and short-lived compared to the spring/summer season. Furthermore, in winter, we are more covered and therefore, we are less exposed and the synthesis of vitamin D is less good. explains Florence Foucaut, dietician-nutritionist.
In winter, the best thing is to get some fresh air as soon as there is a little sunshine. Spanish researchers have estimated the amount of time the body needs to be exposed to the sun to obtain the recommended daily dose of vitamin D (800-1,000 IU in the general population). “In January, around noon, it takes a little more than 2 hours of sun exposure (exactly 130 minutes, or 2 hours 10 minutes) to obtain the recommended daily dose of vitamin D with the face, neck, hands and forearms. uncovered, while the rest of the year, it varies between 7 minutes in July and 31 minutes in October“, they report in their study published in the newspaper Science of Total Environment.
You should therefore be exposed to at least 2 hours a day in winter to get enough vitamin D. However, this is not always possible. To avoid being deficient, scientists recommend stocking up on vitamin D during the summer and consuming foods rich in vitamin D throughout the year: a portion of fatty fish per week (herring , sardine, salmon, mackerel, swordfish, rainbow trout), mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini mushrooms, morels), eggs, dark chocolate, butter or margarine, offal, liver oil of cod, fromage blanc or Petit-Suisse.
During winter, the general practitioner can prescribe vitamin D supplementation for people likely to be deficient: babies and young children, those over 65, pregnant women, postmenopausal women, individuals with dark or dark skin. dark because they synthesize vitamin D less well. If in doubt, do not hesitate to talk to them about it.