As a student, you spend a lot of time indoors. Many days you never see sunlight, especially prior to mid-terms and finals. Periods of time like this can leave you in a low mood and just a little on the cranky side. It would be easy to blame the work load, but the culprit may really be a Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D not only encourages good moods, but it helps prevent depression, lowers blood pressure and supports a healthy immune system. Further, it prevents bone loss, supports calcium absorption and is linked to weight loss.
The body obtains Vitamin D naturally through exposure to sunlight and many foods. Being indoors combined with winter weather and shorter days doesn’t provide a lot of opportunity for Vitamin D absorption through sunlight. Luckily, Vitamin D is also found in quite a few common foods.
Including cheese, butter, egg yolks, fortified milk, fish (salmon and tuna), mushrooms, fortified cereals, fortified yogurt and fortified orange juice in your diet on a regular basis will boost Vitamin D intake. A Vitamin D supplement is also an option.
Spring is right around the corner bringing with it longer days and more sunshine increasing the opportunity for Vitamin D absorption. In the meantime, your body and your mood would benefit by altering your daily diet to include foods rich in Vitamin D.