| Health and Fitness

I was always told to drink my milk as a kid to have strong bones. Little did I know just how important that milk, and the Vitamin D would be as I got older.
As a child, you don't really think about Vitamin D, aside from the times you mom or dad told you about just how important your vitamins are and that you won't grow up to be "big and strong" without them.
I'm not 36 years old, and I have a serious lack of Vitamin D, and I'm feeling the effects of it. Makes me almost wish I would have stayed drinking my milk. But as someone who grew up and can't have milk or anything of that ilk (lactose intolerant), you'd be hard pressed to find enough Vitamin D now that regular milk or any dairy is off the table.
That thinking is incredibly short sighted given just how important Vitamin D is and that you must have grown up and not heard that you can take your vitamins without correlating them with a food or drink to get them.
Supplements are paramount to getting enough Vitamin D as you can supplement that lack of dairy with a, well, supplement that you can take on a daily basis.

Vitamin D is underrated by some, particularly those who are short on it, even though a lack of it can lead to intense exhaustion, achy bones and an overall feeling like something is missing. Maybe mom was right about milk and having healthy bones.
Mom maybe forgot to tell us, too, that not having enough Vitamin D can also lead to getting sick more or having brittle hair and nails. Seems as though the idea of taking a daily supplement for Vitamin D wouldn't be a no brainer.
If taking a pill isn't an option for you and you can't have milk, some foods have Vitamin D, as well so you can forgo the supplement and instead focus on the foods you eat. For instance, you can hone in on fish, eggs and cod liver oil (for cooking) to fill your Vitamin D void as much as possible.
Whether you go the supplement route or make it a point to ingest more foods of that ilk, Vitamin D isn't something you want to skip or miss out on as it relates to your body. More Vitamin D might be waiting for you this summer when the sun is hot and at its peak, but until then you might have to settle for a pill a day or putting more foods rich in Vitamin D back in front of you.

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