vitamin D deficiency. So many people are struggling with vitamin D deficiency. In fact, according

to a lot of medical studies today, they're showing that quite possibly the top deficiency

we have in America is a vitamin D deficiency, and for a lot of us there are several reasons

for that. But let me talk about the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. I'm then going to

get into what's causing vitamin D deficiency, then go over the best foods, supplements and

things you can do to correct this type of issue.

But first and foremost, the big thing that can cause or the big symptoms you might have

with a vitamin D deficiency are immune issues. If you have a weakened immune system, that

could be correlated with a vitamin D deficiency. If you have candida or bacterial overgrowth,

it can be caused from a vitamin D deficiency. If you struggle with let's say emotional ups

and downs, like depression and anxiety, that can be a cause. Hormone imbalance, major cause

of vitamin D deficiency. If you have trouble putting on muscle or losing weight, those

are all correlated with a vitamin D deficiency. If you have weak bones or teeth, osteoporosis

or osteopenia, those are warning signs you have a vitamin D deficiency.

So again, you can see there are a lot of things -- and I didn't even get into certain other

things like cancer and diabetes and heart disease -- but those are all warning signs

you could have a vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is responsible for really supporting a healthy immune response, digestive health,

hormone balance, and here's a key thing to remember. Vitamin D is not just a vitamin.

It's also a pro hormone. So it's responsible for so many hormone producing reactions within

your body. You've got to have vitamin D.

Now here are the biggest causes of vitamin D deficiency. Number one is not getting enough

sunlight. The sun should be your number one source of vitamin D. We live in a world today

where we live inside, especially if you're in the northern states, whether it be in Canada

or northern US or northern Europe. But if you are not getting outside enough and not

getting enough direct sunlight on your skin, that will create a vitamin D deficiency. So

starting off, the majority of people are vitamin D deficient because we don't get outside enough.

And the other thing can be certain chemicals, especially things that are plastic in nature,

those can block vitamin D absorption. So if you're drinking out of plastic bottles that

have something called BPA, that's bisphenol A, that can cause vitamin D deficiency and

really affect the way vitamin D is absorbed and utilized and created by your liver in

your body.

The other thing is toxicity. If you're exposed to toxins on a regular basis, that affects

the liver. Your liver is actually responsible for producing and creating vitamin D within

your body. So again, toxicity another major cause of vitamin D deficiency.

So if you want to start to correct vitamin D deficiency and see improvements in your

immune function, in your metabolism, in your hormones and things like your thyroid and

your adrenal glands and improving your overall mood and bone strength, you've got to get

more vitamin D.

Again, your number one source by far is sunlight. I recommend getting outside 20 minutes to

30 minutes every single day. Even if it's cold outside, getting a little bit of sun

on your face and hands, it's so important for getting Vitamin D. So again, number one

is get sunlight 20 to 30 minutes a day.

Now, apart from that, certain foods will contain small amounts of vitamin D. Number one source

will be wild caught salmon or fish, so again getting wild caught fish on a regular basis.

Also, raw fermented milk, like a goat's milk yogurt, may have small amounts of vitamin

D, as will mushrooms and eggs. But again, you're going to get very small amount in diet.

Those foods are good. But again, it's only small amounts of vitamin D.

Then the next thing would be take a high quality vitamin D supplement. You don't want to take

vitamin D2. You do want to start taking vitamin D3, and there are many forms of this. There

are several good brands out there today. But again, you can actually take it in a capsule

form. You can actually get it in a spray bottle form. But again, vitamin D is essential to

take as a supplement. For most adults, 2000 to 5000 IUs a day is what's recommended.

Now if you have a severe deficiency and you've gone and got a vitamin D test done, in that

case for 1 to 2 months, you might take 5000 IUs 2 times a day. But again, for the days

that you're not in the sun, I recommend 2000 to 5000 IUs of vitamin D3 daily.

Here's one last important thing to remember. When you are supplementing with vitamin D3,

you want to take it with some fat because it's a fat soluble vitamin. So take it with

a teaspoon of coconut oil or take it with a fish oil supplement. But when you are taking

vitamin D, you want to take it with some healthy fat like coconut, avocado, or an almond butter.

You'll want to get it with some healthy fat because it actually improves and increases

absorption there as well. So again, make sure you're getting your vitamin D. It is crucial

for immune function, bone health, emotional health, and balanced hormones.

So again, remember vitamin D, it's not only a vitamin. It's a hormone. It's an immune

boosting nutrient that you've got to have. Hey, if you've enjoyed this video, make sure

you subscribe to our other YouTube videos on our YouTube video page as well as our newsletter

here on DrAxe.com. We've got some great information coming out as well on other vitamins and nutrients

that can help take your health to the next level.