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By Michael Jurgelewicz

Vitamin D has been a popular topic the past few years and seems to be getting more and more attention. Scientists are discovering that more and more diseases are being related to deficiencies in Vitamin D. It practically reducing your risk of dying from almost any disease.

A big misconception is that Vitamin D is just a vitamin and you need it for strong bones. Vitamin D is not really a vitamin, they just thought that's what it was when they discovered it, so its name does not do it justice. It is actually a substrate for a repair and maintenance steroid hormone that acts upon thousands of genes and regulating their function throughout the body.

There are 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D influences more than 2,000 of them. Vitamin D deficiencies has become more and more of a problem since dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers have installed fear in the public and scaring them away from the sun.

Studies have shown that people living in higher latitudes have significantly higher cancer rates. Since getting adequate sun exposure daily is not always practical, almost everyone should be supplementing with D3. I personally only use Biotics Research and Designs for Health as my suppliers for D3. They pay special attention to their quality practices.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble so some people may have been told to avoid certain amounts due to toxicity. More and more research is showing those fears of toxicity have been overly cautious.

Vitamin D Toxicity from The Merck Manual states, the synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D (the most active metabolite of vitamin D) is tightly regulated, vitamin D toxicity usually occurs ONLY if excessive doses (prescription or megavitamin) are taken. Vitamin D 1000 ìg (40,000 IU)/day produces toxicity within 1 to 4 mo in infants. In adults, taking 1250 ìg (50,000 IU)/day for several months can produce toxicity.

That said, the way to proceed is to get your vitamin D levels tested before you begin, and then at regular intervals so taht you can tell when you reach the optimal level, because the amount of vitamin D required (whether from sun exposure or supplementation) to reach this level is different for everyone.

It's thought that 85 percent of the American public is deficient in vitamin D and over 95 percent of African American or deeply pigmented individuals. And, in the United States, the late winter average vitamin D is only about 15-18 ng/ml, which is considered a VERY SERIOUS deficiency state.

You can find out what your levels are by asking your doctor for a blood test called a 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. (Please note, there are two typles of vitamin D tests, and this one is the one you want).

The OPTIMAL value of vitamin D that you're looking for has recently been raised to 50-65 ng/ml with even higher recommended levels required for more serious disease prevention.

By Dr. Michael Jurgelewicz

When going to the grocery store it is important to know how to properly read food labels, so I decided to share my thinking process when I go the store. I like the quote by Hippocrates that says, "Let thy Food be thy Medicine and thy Medicine be thy Food."

My first recommendation is to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store and buy mostly fresh produce and organic meats. I know it can be a little more expensive, so just cut your portion size down a little.

I realize most of you buy packaged items as well; this is where reading food labels can become confusing. It is always important to read the first ingredient listed on the label because ingredients are listed by the most predominant and so on. Many food manufacturers disguise sugar under several different names: sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, malt, fructose, glucose, carbitol, mannitol, lactose, evaporated cane juice, or concentrated fruit juice. Sugar makes your body very acidic and can be detrimental to your health.

Watch out for MSG (monosodium glutamate). It is a common ingredient in almost all processed foods. It is a flavor enhancer that has many toxic effects. Look for it disguised as one of these: glutamate, yeast extract, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed proteins, autolyzed yeast, natural beef flavoring, whey protein, maltodextrin, soy protein isolate, soy sauce extract, natural flavoring, and anything with "seasonings" in the ingredients.

Gluten is a protiein found in many grains that is difficult for many people to digest and cause digestive and immune stress. Many whole grains wtih wheat, barley, bran, rye, and oats, and the flours or cereals made from them, contain gluten.

It is also hidden in many foods as a binder, starch, or filler and can be hidden as one of the following: soy sauce, garlic salt, onion salt, some mustard powders, flavored teas and coffees, hydrolyzed proteins, colorings, flavorings, anything with msg, modified food starch, malt, or graham flour.

Know your oils and fats. Thanks to the media and large food manufacturers they have brainwashed you to think fats are bad, so here are some general guidelines. Bad fats are inflammatory and include grain fed meat, vegetable oil, hydrogenated oils (trans-fats), deficient of omega-3's. Good anti-inflammatory fats are extra-virgin olive oil (not for cooking), avocados, coconut oil  (the only oil to cook with), raw nuts and seeds, real butter (raw best), grass fed meats, organic cage free eggs, fatty fish- wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, etc.