Hello all,

This week The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have published a report recommending the implementation of a national policy of vitamin D supplementation in all infants aged 0-12 months in Ireland. This recommendation follows a review undertaken by the FSAI's Scientific Committee which highlights the re-emergence of rickets in infants in Ireland, a medical condition caused by severe vitamin D deficiency.

If you have been reading the articles on the website over the last 6 months you will be aware how strongly I feel about the importance of Vitamin D and why it could well be behind allot of the chronic illnesses we are seeing in Ireland today.

Vitamin D is involved in calcium metabolism and is necessary for good bone health, it plays a role in the prevention of serious chronic diseases which affect the Irish population, including cardiovascular disease; diabetes mellitus; some inflammatory and autoimmune disorders; as well as some types of cancer. So why are Irish people so deficient in this vital substance??

What the research on vitamin D tells us is that unless you are a fisherman, farmer, or otherwise outdoors and exposed regularly to sunlight you are unlikely to obtain adequate amounts of vitamin D from the sun. Due to Ireland’s northerly latitude, very little UVB light reaches the earth’s surface resulting in reduced production of vitamin D, especially in winter. Historically in Ireland the balance of one's daily need was provided by food. Many years ago Irish people instinctively chose vitamin-D-rich foods including the intestines, organ meats, skin and fat from certain land animals, as well as shellfish, oily fish and insects. Many of these foods are now unacceptable to the modern palate – and for this reason are difficult to purchases anywhere and are rarely consumed. This I feel, coupled with the misguided advice to eat low-fat and to cover up and stay out of the sun, is the reason for the growing deficiency today. So what foods contain Vitamin D?

Food (100 g unless otherwise specified)	Vitamin D (IU)
Anglerfish Liver	4,400
Summer Pork or Bovine Blood (1 cup)	4,000
High-Vitamin Cod Liver Oil (1 tablespoon)	3,450
Lard (Pork Fat)	2,800
Indo-Pacific Marlin	1,400
Chum Salmon	1,300
Standard Cod Liver Oil (1 tablespoon)	1,200
Herring	1,100
Cultured Bastard Halibut and Fatty Bluefin Tuna	720
Duck Egg	720
Grunt and Rainbow Trout	600
Eel	200 - 560
Cultured Red Sea Bream	520
Mackerel	345 - 440
Salmon	360
Canned Sardines	270
Chicken Egg	120
Pork Liver	50
Unfortified Summer Milk (1 liter)	40
Beef Liver	30
Pork	28

Note:One rich source of vitamin D from land animals that is generally overlooked is blood. Since mammals store their vitamin D primarily in the blood as calcidiol, which is roughly five times as potent as unconverted vitamin D, the concentration of vitamin D activity in the blood will be much higher than that of other tissues


So to make it easy for ye ive put together some pointers on how to naturally obtain adequate levels of Vitamin D in Ireland:

Take a good quality Cod Liver Oil Supplement (I take Nordic Naturals, but its not available in Ireland yet so Eskimo Cod liver oil or SevenSeas cod liver oil will do) A tablespoon or equivalent in capsule per day – 2 table spoons in the winter months

Get as much sun as possible! Without getting burned. Get at least 20 minutes per day exposure on your face and arms (sun through glass doesn’t count)

Eat fatty fish at least 3 times a week (fresh and not farmed)

Use Lard to fry with (Only use if 100% animal fat source – some are mixed with vegetable oils which is not good)

Eat organic free range eggs (eat up to two a day if you wish – from duck if possible)

Use organic butter liberally(never use margarine)

Eat organic organs (liver, kidney, hearts etc.. – may be hard to source organically - occasional conventional will be good also)

Eat organic meat – with the fat on it (Don’t be too scared of saturated fat – see article The Benefits Of Saturated Fats. Organic will ensure that the animal gets more sunlight. Cook meat as rare as you can handle)

Drink organic full fat milk or yogurt – if you can take it

One can also supplement directly with a high dose of Vitamin D3 taken orally in capsule form. This can be dangerous and should be done under the guidance of a health care professional




To view the full report by the FSAI it can be downloaded from their website by clicking here

The summer months are here and by all accounts from people who live close to animals and nature all the signs are pointing to a good hot summer………so at every opportunity get out, be active and have a great summer

In health

Gabriel



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