inhibitors of cancer cell growth,” says Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, who heads the Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine.
“It also stimulates your pancreas to make insulin. It regulates your immune system,” he says.
Vitamin D is crucial for skin protection. Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, helps skin cell growth, repair and metabolism as well as prevents skin aging, according to the Journal of Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.
Women and men both should get a minimum of 600 international units (IU) daily. One IU is the equivalent of 0.025 milligrams.
Food sources for vitamin D include three ounces salmon: (383 to 570 IU); three ounces canned light tuna: (231 IU); one cup unsweetened soy milk: (119 IU); one cup of 1% milk: (117 IU) or eight ounces nonfat plain yogurt: (116 IU)
Dietary fiber, also known as roughage or bulk, includes the parts of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb. Instead, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine and colon and out of your body.
Fiber is often sacrificed in diet plans, but it’s essential for normalizing bowel movements, maintaining bowel health, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar and maintaining a healthy weight, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Women should get 22 to 28 milligrams daily, while men need 28 to 34 milligrams daily.
Foods such as one cup shredded wheat cereal provide 6.2 milligrams of fiber; a half cup off cooked beans provides up to 9.6 milligrams and one cup of such vine fruits as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries provide up to 8 milligrams of fiber.
Refined or processed foods — such as canned fruits and vegetables, pulp-free juices, white breads and pastas, and non-whole-grain cereals — are lower in fiber.
The Mayo Clinic warns that too much fiber too quickly can promote intestinal gas, abdominal bloating and cramping.
Fiber should be increased gradually over a few weeks. This allows the natural bacteria in your digestive system to adjust to the change.
Follow these recommendations and you’ll be on the road to better health.