Vitamin D is essential for the proper formation of the skeleton. It’s vital for bone growth and renewal as it helps our body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus. Without an adequate intake of vitamin D, our body’s ability to absorb and use calcium is inhibited. Vitamin D is also required for nerve and muscle activity, helps build our immune system, and can help combat chronic inflammation.
If we have too little of this valuable nutrient, our bones are not able to mineralize properly. This can lead to a condition called rickets in children, which is characterized by bowed legs, knock-knees, swollen joints, and malformed skeletons. In adults, vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia, a condition in which there is inadequate mineralization of the bone. Deficiency may also result in osteoporosis due to decreased calcum abosrption, and vitamin D deficiency has also been associated with muscle weakness.
It is estimated that fifty percent of the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D and this deficiency has now been linked to osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and other health conditions.
Vitamin D is produced naturally in our body by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and is also available in certain foods as well as supplements. Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” because we can make vitamin D out of a cholesterol compound that is naturally present in the skin when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. However, if we are not receiving the sunlight we need to manufacture vitamin D, we need to consume vitamin D fortified foods or take a vitamin D supplement.
Foods that are goods sources of vitamin D include fortified dairy products, margarine, fortified orange juice, and fortified soy-milk. Vitamin D also occurs naturally in a few foods, including fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, fish oils (halibut and cod-liver oils), as well as eggs, and mushrooms.
Even though our body produces vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight, and we may obtain vitamin D through our diet from a small number of whole-food sources, not everyone is able to absorb vitamin D properly or synthesize adequate amounts from sunlight exposure.
For instance, people who are naturally dark skinned, people who are housebound, people who cover their skin for religious or cultural reasons, the elderly, people with osteoporosis, babies and infants of vitamin D deficient mothers (especially breastfed babies), and vegans or vegetarians who do not obtain enough vitamin D from foods or have low blood levels of vitamin D, may all be at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
For most healthy people, spending time outdoors during the summer may be sufficient to obtain enough vitamin D for optimal health. However, if you spend most of your time indoors, or lack foods that contain vitamin D in your diet, a dietary supplement may be necessary.
The latest product to hit the marketplace is AIM Veggie D™ and here’s a sample of what this unique product has to offer. According to the AIM Veggie D™ data sheet:
“AIM is the first to introduce an all-natural vegan source of vitamin D from shiitake and button mushrooms. This whole-food delivery of vitamin D combines a savory garden blend of lycopene-rich tomatoes and twelve other vegetables for a healthy beverage.
Mushrooms are a whole-food, vegan source of vitamin D2. AIM chose a vegan source of vitamin D over animal sources. As a result, AIM is the first company to tap into this natural source of vitamin D2 for a whole-food concentrate.
Veggie D contains twelve additional vegetables and lycopene-rich tomatoes. Lycopene is the pigment that gives tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables their red color. The pigment acts as an antioxidant in the human body, protecting against free radical damage.
Several studies have shown that lycopene helps lower the risk of prostate cancer and may increase energy. Its antioxidant properties also help with reducing bad cholesterol and protecting against infertility, osteoporosis, and eye diseases.
The vegetable ingredients in Veggie D include the powders of red bell pepper, green bell pepper, celery, Brussels sprout, parsley, artichoke, cabbage, zucchini, garlic, green chili, onion, and red radish juice. Additionally, Veggie D contains ancient sea salt, mined from below the earth where it is protected from environmental contamination. Veggie D has less than half of the sodium found in comparable vegetable juice blends.”
Here are a few benefits and features of AIM Veggie D™:
Veggie D has a savory, hearty taste and if you like the commercial brands of garden vegetable juice and cocktails you’ll love this new product.
There are few companies that can actually boast an all-natural, food source of vitamin D, and only one that can say their D comes from both shiitake and button mushrooms. AIM Veggie D™…a dose of vitamin D that really delivers!
AIM Veggie D™ is available in both Canada and USA and comes in a 240g canister.
For more information about AIM Veggie D™ please visit our AIM Store Website where you can learn more, read the datasheet, watch videos, and place your order. As with any nutritional supplement it is always recommended to read the literature thoroughly to find out if the product is right for you, and consult your health care practitioner if you have any medical conditions or concerns.
“Primary prevention of these cancers has largely been neglected, but we now have proof that the incidence of colon, breast, and ovarian cancer can be reduced dramatically by increasing the public’s intake of vitamin D.” ~ Cedric F. Garland
