Sunshine as my Vit D source

I am 2 weeks into changing to a plant based diet. I am reaching my targets easily for everything except Vit D, which I get from spending plenty of time in the sun (I live in Costa Rica so it is easy to get). The question is I cannot find a way to enter that into my diary. Is there a way to do it, or should I just ignore it knowing I am getting more than enough sun time?

Comments

  • @stillwater21

    The amount of vitamin D made from the sun is dependent on many factors:

    • skin pigmentation
    • sunscreen/clothing coverage
    • where you live relative to the equator
    • time of year/day
    • cloud coverage
    • etc.

    Given all of this, it's very difficult to determine the daily amounts you would make, given this would change!

    Kind regards,

    Susan Macfarlane, MScA, RD
    Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
    cronometer.com
    As always, any and all postings here are covered by our T&Cs:
    https://forums.cronometer.com/discussion/27/governing-terms-and-disclaimer

  • Yes. I see your point of course. Here at 10 degrees north latitude, I tend to let my medium tan caucasian skin soak up my daily dose for about one hour in the early morning between 6 and 7 am, as it emerges above the tree line into the usually cloudless sky, and I am sitting on my porch in a sleeveless t-shirt sipping my morning coffee and watching the birds foraging. I might get a bit more later, when I ride my bike the 4km to town for groceries in shorts and a t-shirt. No way to tell for sure, so best if I just ignore trying to enter a value and hope for the best.

  • @stillwater21

    Given that I'm buried under snow, that sounds incredible! You could get your vitamin D levels checked once a year to ensure that your daily exposure is adequate. This is what I ask my clients to do in Canada. :)

    Susan Macfarlane, MScA, RD
    Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
    cronometer.com
    As always, any and all postings here are covered by our T&Cs:
    https://forums.cronometer.com/discussion/27/governing-terms-and-disclaimer

  • edited February 2020

    There's good reason why vitamin D is called “the sunshine vitamin.” When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun's ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur [mcdvoice]

  • edited February 2020

    Posted a query about Vit D3 but found a solution - but don't know how to delete a comment!

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