"My Doctor Says I'm Low on Vitamin D"

Add that to the list of Top 10 Things People Say When They Find Out I'm A Dietitian. It is usually followed by some version of "So, what foods have vitamin D in them?" or "So, how do I get more vitamin D?"

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus work together to build and remodel bones. So, vitamin D is important for the health of your bones and teeth.

Vitamin D is unique in that our bodies can make it following exposure to the sun. The catch is that while the amount of sun exposure we need may be as little as 5-30 minutes on arms and legs twice a week, experts are still trying to figure out how much sun is enough, especially since the efficiency of sun exposure is affected by time of day, season of year, geography, sunscreen and even skin color.

Add that to the list of Top 10 Things People Say When They Find Out I'm A Dietitian. It is usually followed by some version of "So, what foods have vitamin D in them?" or "So, how do I get more vitamin D?"

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus work together to build and remodel bones. So, vitamin D is important for the health of your bones and teeth.

Vitamin D is unique in that our bodies can make it following exposure to the sun. The catch is that while the amount of sun exposure we need may be as little as 5-30 minutes on arms and legs twice a week, experts are still trying to figure out how much sun is enough, especially since the efficiency of sun exposure is affected by time of day, season of year, geography, sunscreen and even skin color.