Living in Maine, it’s hard not to get some form of seasonal affective disorder this time of year. We seem to be having snow storms every week, and it was -11 when I left for work the other day. When the sun does make an appearance, it’s usually short-lived and not very warming.
During a visit with my doctor for my annual checkup, I told her I’d been feeling more moody lately. Her first question was: “Are you taking any vitamin D?” Um. No.
In the northeast, more people suffer from vitamin D deficiencies, particularly during the winter months. My pediatrician had me giving my second son vitamin d drops when he was born since it was the beginning of winter. (They just told me to get outdoor time with my first son who was born in July.)
I hadn’t really thought about vitamin D for me, but it makes sense. I’m almost never in the sun these days. And, some say it affects your mental health. It seems like vitamin D has come up in the news and in conversation more in the past couple years.
After my visit with my doctor, I googled “vitamin d,” and got a lot of info. A little too much. So, I changed my search to “vitamin d infographic” because I’m visual, and I like it when information is presented in a pretty way. I was so excited to find the following from Information is Beautiful. It’s informative, helpful and looks good.
It also convinced my I need to get my butt to the store to get some vitamin D. Or, maybe use more margarine.
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