The exact amount of vitamin D you need, as per your age

The coronavirus pandemic has made us extra cautious about our health. From loading up on vitamins and minerals to having immunity-boosting kadha, we are doing everything we can to maintain our overall health and keep our immunity up and tight.
Talking about vitamins, studies have shown that Vitamin D can protect us against the SARS-CoV 2 virus, which makes adequate consumption of Vitamin D even more important.

Talking about the consumption of vitamin D, not many people know exactly how much they should have each day to meet the daily recommended value for maintaining optimal health.
The daily recommended value of vitamin D depends on age. Here is an age-wise daily recommended value chart.

Can you get enough vitamin D from the sun?

Our body makes vitamin D when the skin is directly exposed to the sun.

The skin exposed to the sun through a window cuts down on the amount of vitamin D you get from the sun; even those with darker skin tone take longer to absorb the sun vitamin.

Though sun is a source of vitamin D, it is not recommended to stay in the sun for long hours as it can increase your risk of getting skin cancer. That is why we wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen when we go out.

This makes it important for everyone to have vitamin D rich foods or supplements to meet the daily recommended value.

Vitamin D found is found in supplements and fortified foods in two different forms - D2 and D3, ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol respectively. Both these increase vitamin D in the blood.

List of Vitamin D rich foods

The best time to be in the sun to get the maximum vitamin D

The best time to soak in the sun to get maximum vitamin D is between 10 am to 3 pm. At this time, the sun's UVB rays are most intense.

Many studies have shown that the body is most efficient at making vitamin D during this time. Not only this, exposure to sun during this time of the day is better than exposure to sun in the latter part of the day.

For how long should you sit in the sun

One should sit for 10 to 15 minutes in the sun to get adequate vitamin D.

The body parts that should be exposed to the sun

Expose your arms, legs, abdomen and back in the sun for better absorption. Make sure to expose your back as that allows the body to produce more vitamin D than when you only expose your hands and legs.

People of different skin colour need sun exposure for different times

According to the Vitamin D council, people with light colour skin need to sit for 15 minutes in the sun, while people with dark complexion need to spend a couple of hours in the sun.