Soaking up the sunlight
Sunlight can have many effects on us but for our kids… sunlight is a very important source of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is essential for a child's:
- overall growth
- development
- absorption of calcium
- building strong bones
- builds a healthy immune system
But how much sunlight do kids really need?
Levine, MD, Director of the Center for Bone Health at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) states… “We usually recommend that parents allow children to have 10 to 15 minutes of sun time before applying sunscreen. This allows them to have sufficient exposure to sunlight to meet their vitamin D requirements." (1)
Where does Vitamin D come from?
Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to the sun but it might be tough to get all our vitamin D from direct sunlight. Another source comes from the food we eat. The foods with the most are fatty fish, liver, eggs, and fish oils. Kids do not necessarily like all these foods so many companies add in Vitamin D to milk, yogurt, baby formula, cereal, juices, and other foods.
Soaking up the sun for a few minutes a day can truly be helpful for our kids.. But after a few minutes sunscreen should be applied as well as getting in extra from the foods we eat.
Written by Erin Holtz
Owner of @purefitnessllc
