Everything You Need To Know About Vitamin D

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Vitacost has provided me with another great guest post to share with my readers! Thanks Vitacost Smile  Read on to learn more about Vitamin D, where to get it and how you can ensure you are getting enough.

1. What does vitamin D do? This multi-tasking vitamin keeps your bones strong and sturdy by promoting absorption of calcium (without it, your body can only absorb 10-15% of the calcium you ingest!), supports normal immune response and lends a hand to help maintain heart health. And if all of that wasn’t enough, vitamin D has also been linked to mood, joint function and skin health.

2. How does my body make vitamin D? They don’t call it the sunshine vitamin for nothing. When skin is exposed to UV-B rays from the sun, a naturally occurring chemical in the body (7-dehydrocholesterol) converts the energy into vitamin D. It’s then transported to the liver where it picks up hydrogen and oxygen molecules, then heads off to the kidney to be converted into the active form your body needs. This process only occurs through direct exposure to strong, mid-day sun – something most of us don’t experience very often.

3. What foods contain vitamin D? You can put vitamin D on your plate by piling it high with fatty fish, cod liver oil, oysters, dairy products, eggs and fortified foods such as cereal and milk. Since many of us don’t eat mass quantities of these foods (sardine omelet, anyone?), it can be difficult to obtain vitamin D through diet alone.

4. How do I know if I need extra vitamin D? You always wear sunscreen, and you don’t eat fish or dairy. So are you “d”-ficient? Studies suggest that upwards of 60% of American adults are, especially those living in Northern climates. But the only way to know whether or not your body has enough is to get your vitamin D levels tested by your doctor or healthcare provider.

5. What type of vitamin D should I take? If your doctor recommends a vitamin D supplement, look for vitamin D3 (also known as cholecalciferol), which is the same form that your body makes when exposed to sunlight. For a wide range of affordable vitamin D3 supplements, including liquids, softgels, capsules, powders, chewables and much more, visit an online health retailer such as Vitacost.com.

6. How do I take vitamin D? Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient. Once you find the vitamin D3 supplement that’s right for you, be sure to take it with a meal that contains healthy fat (such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc.) for maximum absorption and effectiveness.

Vitacost.com has been selling discount vitamins since 1994. Since then we have grown into one of the biggest online marketplaces for healthy living essentials-with vitamins and supplements being just one of our many helpful categories! Get the best price on vitamins, nutritional supplements, health foods and diet products. Vitacost carries raspberry ketones and chia seeds. Our customers mean the world to us, and it’s our goal to provide you with the best nutritional supplements, natural foods and sports nutrition to help with your health and wellness.

By: +Katie Kaleita, writer for Vitacost.com

Hemp Seed Pesto (Dairy Free)

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I was craving salad for dinner tonight but wanted to add some oomph to it without adding meat. I started by hard-boiling some eggs. I noticed my basil plant was looking rather full out on the patio, so I took my scissors to it with pesto in mind, hehe.

This recipe is based from a great website called www.choosingraw.com. This is a great clean eating recipe made from all fresh, whole foods. Hemp seeds are used instead of traditional pine nuts or walnuts for this recipe. I love hemp seeds as they are a good source of healthy Omega-3s fats, high in protein, and high in: Iron (20%), Thiamin (20%), Phosphorus (45%), Magnesium (45%), Zinc (20%), and Manganese (110%). Hemp seeds are also a good source of: Riboflavin (6%), Vitamin B6 (8%), Folate (8%), and contain 3 grams of fiber in a 3 Tablespoon serving.

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Hemp Seed Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled hemp seeds (Manitoba Harvest is my preferred brand)

1.5 –2 cups fresh basil leaves, measure out by firmly packing into measuring cup

1 garlic clove

2 T. olive oil

2/3 cup water

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Raid your basil plant and collect as many leaves as possible. Shoot for 1.5 to 2 cups. You can also use store bought. Rinse well.

2. Add hemp seeds to food processor and pulse for about a minute, until the seeds are ground up.

3. Add basil leaves, garlic clove, olive oil and pulse in food processor to combine.

4. Add water to make a creamy consistency.

5. Serve over fresh salad immediately or store in fridge.

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Save Time: Make Ahead Lunches For Work

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Sunday night means a little bit of prep for the week ahead can go a long way and save you time when you need it the most. Here is a simple one pot dish that can be packed for lunches. This one features ground turkey with onions, red potatoes, summer squash, and bok choy.

Set your stove top to medium heat and add 1/2 pound of ground turkey to your stainless steel saute pan. Use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey while it’s browning. Chop up your onion and red potatoes and add while the meat is cooking since it takes a while to cook. Drain excess grease from pan if needed. Push meat to one side, tip pan and use paper towels to soak up excess fat. Fat is very hot, so use caution.

*Short cut tip, cut up your potatoes, put into a glass bowl, cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes. This saves in cooking time on the stove top.

Add cut-up potatoes, summer squash, and bok choy once turkey is fully cooked. Season with fresh ground sea salt (Himalayan pink sea salt is the best!), fresh ground black pepper, oregano, basil, anything you like. Turmeric is great too!

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Cook until veggies softened to your personal preference.

Remove from heat, cover and cool about 30 minutes. Measure out equal portions and put into glass containers to grab and take to work.

These are delicious for lunch and great to pair with baby carrots, watermelon slices, or berries. This lunch is not huge so enjoy an afternoon snack about 3 hours later. Try pumpkin seeds with an apple, plain Greek yogurt with walnuts and local honey, or mashed avocado with crunchy celery.

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Full Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped

3 small red potatoes, washed and cubed

2 summer squash, washed and cubed

1 pound bok choy, washed and chopped

Spices to taste: sea salt, black pepper, oregano, basil

Method:

1. Heat a 3-inch deep sauté pan to medium heat. Add ground turkey and onion.

2. Break up turkey with back on a wooden spoon.

3. Drain fat from pan by pushing turkey and onion to one side, use paper towels to soak up fat and discard paper towels. Use caution, fat is extremely hot.

4. Place red potatoes in a small glass or ceramic bowl, cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes. This is to save cooking time.

5. When turkey is fully cooked and onion is starting to soften, add red potatoes, summer squash, and bok choy.

6. Cook until veggies are softened to your preference. Add spices to taste, fresh ground sea salt, ground black pepper, dried oregano and basil, even turmeric is great!

7. Remove from heat, cover and let cool for 30 minutes. Set a timer as a reminder.

8. Divide equal portions of food into glass containers  for lunches.

9. Store in fridge, then grab and go in the morning!

Get Your Nutrients from a Dairy-Free Life

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Many people are living the dairy-free lifestyle whether out of choice or because of food allergies or intolerances. This Vitacost guest post addresses ways to ensure you are getting the vital nutrients we often get from dairy. Thanks again Vitacost, very much appreciated!!

Guest blog by Liz Lotts

I scream. You scream. We all scream for…non-dairy ice cream! A dairy-free diet doesn’t have to mean skipping cookout classics like cheeseburgers, potato salad and ice cream. Though your favorite comfort foods contain milk or milk products, they aren’t totally off-limits thanks to the wide selection of dairy-free alternatives now available. But not all alternatives are created equal – some are more nutritious than others.

You probably know milk and milk products offer a range of essential vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and vitamin D. But did you know an eight-ounce glass of milk provides 18 percent of the daily value for vitamin B12 and 16 percent of the daily value for protein? When you’re lactose intolerant, have a milk allergy or simply prefer not to consume dairy, you could easily miss out on more than those American staples. Ensure your dairy-free diet doesn’t skimp on dairy’s nutrients with these guidelines:

Calcium – It’s an essential mineral that supports bone health and must constantly be replenished. Dairy may be the best known source, but there’s a pool of other foods that provide sufficient calcium. For instance, fortified foods and beverages can be dairy free and calcium rich. Because fortified soy milk has more calcium per cup (368 mg) than milk (306 mg), pour it over your cereal to start your day on a nutritious note. Still screaming for ice cream? Mix coconut milk with fruit, agave nectar, vanilla extract and silken tofu; then freeze in a cake pan until firm. You’ll have a decadent, calcium-packed, non-dairy dessert in no time – homemade, to boot!

Other dairy-free sources of Calcium include: dark leafy greens (kale, collard and turnip greens, bok choy), broccoli, ground sesame seeds (tahini), almonds, beans, and wild salmon (with the bones).

Vitamin D – A glass of milk provides more than 25 percent of the daily value for vitamin D to help support bone health and nervous system and immune function. That’s hard to top – unless you’re hooked on salmon (112 percent of the daily value in three ounces!) or swordfish. The truth is there aren’t many natural food sources of vitamin D, which may be why the U.S. government implemented a fortification program in the 1930s. Today, you’ll find many cereals and other ready-to-eat breakfast foods fortified with vitamin D. Just a few minutes of natural sun exposure can help boost vitamin D3 levels. However, your best– and the safest – dairy-free alternative may be a vitamin D supplement. (Tip: Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, is the optimal D variety due to its greater potency and greater long-term impact.)

Protein – Protein in milk is considered a “complete protein,” because it provides all the essential amino acids that help maintain the health of muscles and tissues. To meet these same standards, stick to lean meat and poultry, which can provide 30 grams of protein per three-ounce serving. When you’re craving a cheeseburger, choose the leanest ground beef, or spare some calories by making it a turkey burger. Instead of cheese, top your burger with sliced avocado or guacamole – you’ll get the same creamy texture without the dairy.

Other great sources of proteins can be from plants, check out this past Vitacost guest post: https://www.totalhealthcounseling.com/2012/pick-your-protein/

Vitamin B12 – This vitamin is essential for proper red blood cell formation. Vitamin B12 is naturally found mostly in animal products with levels in trout, tuna and clams topping the charts. However, if you’re allergic to fish or live a vegan lifestyle, these options aren’t appealing. To ensure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, you may want to start a daily supplement routine. Methylcobalamin is the preferred form of this vitamin and comes as a capsule, tablet – even a fruit-flavored lozenge.

This article has been provided by the folks at Vitacost.com. Offering more than just vitamins and supplements, Vitacost.com has a wide selection of over 35,000 organic, natural products for your healthy lifestyle. From organic foods and bath & beauty items to sports nutrition favorites and pet essentials, Vitacost.com has your needs covered – for less! Take your shopping list to Vitacost.com and take the cost out of healthy living. Vitacost.com is not affiliated with this blog and isn’t responsible for content outside of this article.

Eat Well At Wicked Awesome Snackbar

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I have to admit I love the name of this place, Wicked Awesome Snackbar! Being from the Northeast, I grew up saying wicked awesome or wicked cool. I believe the roots of those sayings are from Boston, but they somehow made it to my small upstate NY community.

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If you are out and about 441 & Glades in West Boca, you have to stop in for some amazing food for lunch or dinner! My husband and I stopped there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon to replenish and take a quick break from our adventures. There is a unique selection of house made salads, sandwiches, pizzettes, and meatballs(?). I highly recommend The Leftover, which originates as a sandwich on the menu, but I ordered it as a salad. My husband ordered The Leftover sandwich and was equally delighted with his choice. The turkey is roasted in house, topped with bacon and avocado, served with house made cranberry relish over a bed of organic and greens with a side of dressing. This dish really blew us both away!! The turkey meat was succulent, juicy, and incredible paired with avocado and cranberry relish – a perfect marriage of flavors.

I also want to compliment Wicked Awesome Snackbar for serving hormone free meats and organic fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices. Yes it can be done. The lunch portions were just right too, we were both happily satisfied.

Most of their dishes are tapas, which is a great idea, because you will want to try multiple items on the menu. They also make their own breads, cookies and cakes. I spotted a whoopie pie on the counter, how often do you see one of those! My husband enjoyed the fresh baked brioche bread for his sandwich. If you are into craft beer, you will be pleasantly surprised by their large selection, including local Florida microbrews. All of their beers are currently served in bottles.

The staff is very friendly and accommodating. I told them I am allergic to gluten and dairy and was served a wonderful meal to meet my needs and was absolutely delicious!

Wicked Awesome Snackbar: http://wickedawesomesnackbar.com/

20642 S State Road 7 (441) Glades and 441, store front Facing 441

Boca Raton, FL 33498

561-883-3200