Getting nutrients: Vitamins better than food?

Vitamin D
This vitamin helps maintain strong bones by promoting calcium absorption. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.

Research also suggests that vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation.

New research also suggests that vitamin D may decrease the risk of certain cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Vitamin D exists in several forms, each with a different level of activity. Calciferol is the most active form of vitamin D (called D3).

Adequate intake

Age	Men/Women (IU/day)
19 to 50 years	200 IU
51 to 70 years	400 IU
71+ years	600 IU

Some of the best foods:

• Canned Alaskan wild salmon, with bones (3 ounces = 500 IU)
• Mackerel, with bones (3 ounces = 400 IU)
• Canned sardines, with bones, (2 ounces  = 250 IU)
• Skim milk (1 cup = 100 IU)
• Eggs (1 yolk = 20 IU)

Unless you’re a milk drinker, you should take a supplement. That’s because few foods contain Vitamin D. At the very least, take a multivitamin (they typically supply 400IU). And if you’re taking a calcium supplement, make sure it also contains vitamin D (in the form of D3). Many experts believe we should be getting 800 IUs each day.

Magnesium
This mineral helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

Recommended dietary allowances

Age (years)	Male (mg/day)	Female (mg/day)
19-30	400	310
31+	420	320

Some of the best foods:

• Spinach (1 cup cooked = 155mg)
• Swiss chard (1 cup cooked = 150mg)
• Sunflower seeds ( ¼ cup = 125mg)
• Amaranth (1/4 cup dry = 130mg)
• Nuts: peanuts, almonds, cashews (1 ounce = 100mg)
• Brown rice (1 cup cooked = 80 mg)
• Whole wheat bread (2 slices = 70 mg)
• Beans: black, white, navy, lima, pinto, kidney (1 cup = 40 to 60mg)

Try to get your magnesium from food; you have so many great choices. If you need extra backup, make sure your multivitamin provides at least 50 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for magnesium. And if you’re already taking a calcium supplement with Vitamin D and you don’t eat enough of these magnesium-rich food, find a brand with additional magnesium as well.

For more information on healthy eating, visit Joy Bauer’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com

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