Trouble Losing Weight? You Could be Vitamin D Deficient!
Have you been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully? Have you reached a weight loss plateau? If you are frustrated from dieting and exercising without seeing results, a Vitamin D deficiency could be to blame.
Recent studies have shown deficient levels of Vitamin D to be related to increased body fat, including visceral fat - or the fat around the abdomen. The exact mechanism is still not fully understood, but studies have established a correlation between rising rates of obesity and vitamin D deficiency.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is one of four fat soluble vitamins. It is made naturally in our skin when exposed to sunlight (UV rays). At first, this form of Vitamin D is not biologically active. It is converted in the liver and then in the kidney, to the active form of Vitamin D, calcitriol. Vitamin D helps the gut absorb calcium and phosphorus from food, promotes health of bone and teeth, and helps our immune function. In addition to these benefits, newer research shows adequate amounts of Vitamin D can help you lose weight and lower body fat percentages.
How much do you need?
If you have had trouble losing weight and keeping the pounds off, you may want to consider having your doctor check your Vitamin D level. Optimal levels are 32-55 ng/ml. Levels below 30 ng/ml are considered deficient. The DRIs for Vitamin D are 200 IU for adults under age 50. The DRIs increase to 400 IU/day for adults 51-70 and 600 IU/day for those over 70. Information regarding Vitamin D on nutrition labels is based on the recommended daily intake of 400 IU per day. If your vitamin D level is low, you may want to increase your daily intake above the DRI for your age. *Some experts are even recommending higher intakes of Vitamin D … so stay tuned!
Where can you get it?
Vitamin D status is influenced by both exposure to sunlight and Vitamin D in the diet.
Unfortunately, very few foods contain Vitamin D naturally. The Vitamin D which most Americans get from their diet comes from fortified foods, such as milk. Milk is generally fortified with about 100 IU per cup. Other good sources of Vitamin D include fish, egg yolks, and fortified cereals. Don’t forget UV rays, which trigger your body’s natural production of Vitamin D in the skin. Sun exposure, without sunscreen, for 15-25 minutes a few days per week will allow for adequate synthesis of Vitamin D. But be safe and apply sunscreen after that! The table below lists some foods that provide Vitamin D in the diet.
Food Sources of Vit D (in IU’s)
Salmon (~3.5 oz) = 360
Mackerel (~3.5 oz) = 345
Cannned Tuna fish (~3 oz) = 200
1 egg = 20
Swiss Cheese (1 oz) = 12
Fortified breakfast cereals (3/4-1 c) = ~ 40 (varies)
Sardines (1 3/4 oz) = 240
Fortified margarine = 40
Pure cod liver oil (1 tbsp) = 1360
What about supplements?
Vitamin D is supplementally available in two forms: D2 (or ergocalciferol), and D3 (or
cholecalciferol). Both forms are regarded as effective, however, D3 may be more effective at raising serum levels. If taking a supplement, chose one that contains a Vitamin D dose of 400-800 IU. Most multivitamins contain at least 400 IU. Also, calcium supplements, such as Calcium carbonate and Calcium citrate contain adequate amounts of Vitamin D.
There is no doubt that Vitamin D is important to your health and nutrition. Aside from helping with your diet, some evidence suggests that Vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers and even depression. Ask for a blood test and make sure you are getting enough!
Check out this link for more info on Vitamin D and weight loss
I would like to thank Despina Hyde, RD at NYU Medical Center, NYC for writing this article. Despina also helped me to write the Lunch Survival Guide - so make sure you download it if you haven’t already done so!

regular basis and are still not losing weight, you will need to evaluate if alcohol is having a negative impact on your weight. Consider…

difficult time eating only one of the mini bags….).
glance at the ingredient list, you may have noticed the strange little word “inulin.” What is this ingredient? Is it safe? Healthy? A natural component of plant foods, inulin is a type of dietary fiber that is often added to increase the fiber content of a product without increasing the caloric value. Inulin is found naturally in a number of vegetables and plants including wheat, onion, bananas, garlic and chicory. Most of the inulin that is added to commercial products is either synthesized from sucrose or extracted from chicory roots. (pic is of chicory roots)
function by increasing stool frequency and weight, as well as decreasing serum triglycerides and blood cholesterol levels. Perhaps the most well-known effect of inulin, however, is its action of stimulating bifidobacteria growth in the intestine. Some of these bacteria, such as Lactobacilli, are thought to promote positive shifts in the microflora and promote intestinal health. Due to the beneficial effects of inulin on these health-stimulating bacteria, it has been termed a “prebiotic.”
who buy the tollhouse cookie dough and eat it before they can make it into cookies. Well, now Federal health officials are warning consumers to throw out packages of Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because of risks of an E. coli infection. Nestle has recalled it’s Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie-dough products, ranging from chocolate-chip bars to tubs of gingerbread cookie dough. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said since March, 65 people in 29 states have fallen ill with symptoms caused by e. coli bacteria after eating Nestle Toll House dough raw. Check out
seen numerous contaminated foods, including ground beef, peanuts, pistachios, spinach, and now cookie dough. If this continues, what will be left to eat?
For those of you who missed my post last month about entering a contest to win a free gym membership, I am going to post it again! The contest ends Tues, June 20 … so get going if you want to enter it.
all you have to do is to send it in email or video format
and the contest rules.






especially vitamin C. Research shows they are great for the mind too. Buy them fresh or frozen!
excellent source of calcium, protein and probiotics which promotes digestive health. Studies show it can also aid in weight loss. Look for live and active cultures and stick with low or non fat brands.


I have done numerous “Recipes for Hypertension Managment” with Novartis, but I must say this one was the most entertaining. Chef Alex had the audiences in stitches during the entire cooking demonstration with her stories. All the while she was preparing a delicious and healthy Cauliflower Soup with Roasted Tomatoes. Who ever thought cauliflower could taste so good! I would have thought it was loaded with cream it was so rich - but of course it wasn’t! I will post the recipe in the next day or so. (pic is of Chef Alex and myself).


