24 Jan Guard Yourself from a Winter D-ficiency!

This post was written by Laura Geraty, MS, RD, LDN, Roffi’s Beauty Nutrition Consultant

It’s January and it’s cold. Anytime spent outdoors this time of year is surely spent bundled up in down jackets, scarves, mittens, hats and maybe even a pair of Uggs (warmth trumps fashion sometimes). The upside is that our skin finally gets some R&R away from the sun. The downside is that without ample UV ray exposure we are at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency, a state that can contribue to chronic diseases like osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers, and even the seasonal flu.

Why? Our bodies make the lion’s share of the vitamin D they need all by themselves, a process triggered by sunlight hitting our skin. Unfortunately, even if we did strip down to our skivvies and sun ourselves for the recommended 5 to 30 minutes, UV rays aren’t always strong enough now to make this happen. The easy solution is to pop a 1,000 IU vitamin D supplement daily during the winter months. Both the D2 and D3 forms are fine and are available over the counter at CVS, Walgreens, and the like.

It won’t be long until our skin is back to work. (Summer is just around the corner….right?) Before then, I’m heading to Roffi Salon to help my skin enjoy the rest of its hiatus with a facial.