Two More Things We Should Be Eating...

A little while ago, when I was still regularly struggling with the Big D, my doc ran a bunch of blood work. The most notable deficiencies were vitamin D and Iron. I was thinking about this again recently because a friend's mom has been struggling with food intolerances and the like.

I thought it was worth saying that I noticed a ton of improvement on that front when I started taking vitamin D and a little bit of iron. My husband pointed out that vitamin D was supposed to be good for intestinal health! Lo and behold...

http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-is-vitamin-d.html

It's not new news. In this 2007 article from Celiac.com, researchers found that "...vitamin D may have a key role in maintaining the intestinal mucosal barrier and the integrity of tight junctions". I don't know what tight junctions are, but I don't care. This article also stipulates that vitamin D deficiency could play a role in the development of Celiac Disease and that healthy levels of vitamin D could help prevent cancer.

Besides being necessary for the absorption of calcium, this Slate article mentions the link between healthy levels of vitamin D and the prevention of autoimmune diseases: "The potential role of vitamin D in forestalling other diseases, particularly autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis, has generated widespread interest as well...Another study, published in the Lancet in 2001, concluded that children who were given vitamin D supplementation were less likely to develop Type 1 diabetes." Since I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and my husband has Type 1 diabetes, this is important to me!

A fellow blogger with Crohn's Disease wrote about it here, saying, "...it can assist with lowering intestinal inflammation and possibly prevent cancer."

Anyway, vitamin D does all good things!

Sources of Vitamin D:

• The Sun
• Fatty Fish
• Cod Liver Oil

Now about iron...

This article about iron says that "Chronic malabsorption can contribute to iron depletion and deficiency by limiting dietary iron absorption or by contributing to intestinal blood loss. Most iron is absorbed in the small intestines. Gastrointestinal disorders that result in inflammation of the small intestine may result in diarrhea, poor absorption of dietary iron, and iron depletion".

Basically they're saying if you have intestinal problems and are having diarrhea--you are probably having trouble absorbing iron and other nutrients. Too much iron is also a problem; it's a fine line: "Symptoms of iron overload include fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, irritability, heart disease, and joint problems."

Sources of Iron:

• Meat
• Beans
• Spinach & Collard Greens

Eat up.