The piratic storms that Kansas has conceived over this past week has taken a toll on my wallet as well as my energy. Our vitamin D seems to be hibernating behind the snow clouds, holding our vitamin D hostage along with the warmth of spring.

Vitamin D is a necessary supplement extracted from the sun through ultra violet blue rays that the sun illuminates. The human skin soaks up the UVB rays when skin is exposed to natural sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat soluble mineral that helps to dissolve fat cells. It acts as a hormone in the human body and is produced by cholesterol after receiving sun exposure. The vitamin D from the sun helps us to be happy and energetic, which might explain your lack of energy during the past couple of weeks. A few symptoms of low vitamin D include fatigue, lack of energy, depression, irritability, impaired wound healing, hair loss, weak muscles, muscle pain and more. Nevertheless, college students must persevere and continue to work, regardless of our energy level or motivation. We need energy after running around campus and the energy in our body that we don’t produce enough of naturally comes from nutrients, some of which is from the sun. Along with the lack of energy, college students face the lack of time and money. If you are like me and have a hard time finding time in your day to eat regularly, please keep reading.

The first thing you should try is briefly question yourself to clarify that vitamin D is what you should focus on healing. Ask yourself if you feel more tired than usual, if feel more anxious than usual, if your bones feel sore or your bones feel scratchy, if you have joint pain or if your body feels like it’s shaking even when you’re not cold. Of course, I am not a doctor, my information is strictly internet-research based, but I have read that vitamin D sufficiency self-diagnoses has been a progressive first step to helping yourself get better if you follow up with filling in your lack of natural exposure vitamin D with self-treatment. Vitamin D deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the western end of the world. The most common symptom that people suffer from while having vitamin D deficiency is depression.

Here is a quick list of no harm vitamin D substitute lunch choices to help build up your Vitamin D: salmon, catfish, canned tuna, mushrooms, mackerels, halibut, herring, sardines, beef liver, milk, orange juice, soy products, sour cream, margarine, butter, ricotta cheese, carp fish, eggs, salami and some cereals that have high levels of vitamin D to add to your daily vitamin D intake.

Tips to fight vitamin D deficiency through this cloudy season are Vitamin D supplements. The two most important types of vitamin D that humans require are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 can be found in plant foods such as mushrooms. Vitamin D3 can be found in animal byproducts, such as fatty fish and egg yolks. Always consult with a health care physician before consuming any supplements to reduce your chances for a health risk.