Kids & Company Blog

How to Get Vitamin D in the Winter!

Vitamin D is extremely important for our kiddies as it is essential for bone health and also helps to protect against those dreadful winter flus. The most common and easy access to your daily vitamin D is through sunlight. Most parents believe that drinking milk and playing outside regularly will allow their children to absorb enough vitamin D... but this isn’t quite so easy in the winter months! Sunlight is great because it spurs the body to make vitamin D, however during the winter seasons the sun can no longer be solely responsible for this. That is why children often struggle to get vitamin D during the winter; however there is no excuse to blame a season because there are numerous other options to get our children their vitamin D during the Winter!

Now that the cold season is in full swing, days have become much shorter, and nights much longer. Therefore children are outside much less than in the summer but this does not mean that your children have to go the winter months without vitamin D! Vitamin D is found in many foods including fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, cheese, egg yolks, soy milk, and let’s not forget, one of the best sources of vitamin D possible - milk! To get the daily amount of vitamin D your child would normally get from the sun would be equal to approximately 3 cups of milk or 4oz of salmon. For an adult it would take about 2 glasses of milk and a fillet of salmon in order to reach the daily recommended amount of vitamin D. Given that vitamin D is vital to a healthy immune system, it should definitely be part of your plan to keep the winter colds and flus at bay!

Salmon is a great, healthy source of vitamin D! Getting this fantastic fish into your family’s happy tummies is super easy and a proven success with your kiddies. Below is our family sized recipe for Maple Dijon Salmon which is delicious and easy to prepare. Enjoy the dish as well as the peace of mind that comes with knowing that although it is not sunny outside, there is a way to clear the clouds with a fish fillet or glass of milk!

Maple Dijon Salmon
*Makes 6 portions

What you need:
- ¼ Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 6 Salmon Fillet

What to do:
1. Make sure you wash your hands before you begin.
2. Set oven to 350F.
3. Combine maple syrup and mustard.
4. Brush each salmon fillet with mixture.
5. Place salmon on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cooked.

It is important that children get their recommended amount of vitamin D, starting at a young age in order to build a healthy immune system, improve hormone function and develop healthy bones and teeth to keep them running and smiling all day long!

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Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica

Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Wednesday January 10th, 2018

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica