Nutrition, cooking, and healthy living in OKC isn’t just about what’s on your plate—its about how you live your life. Good nutrition is a lifestyle, shaped by where you spend your time, how you move, the sunlight you get, the sleep you protect, and the people you surround yourself with. Every piece of your environment influences how your body functions. This blog is where I gather the thoughts, stories, and science behind all of that, so you can build a life that actually supports you. If you need help along the way reach out.
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Sunshine Wheat Salad
A vibrant whole grain wheat berry salad bursting with fresh veggies, bright citrus, and satisfying crunch.
This whole grain wheat berry salad does everything a great whole‑grain dish should do—bright, chewy, crisp, sweet, and deeply satisfying. The wheat berries aren’t just the base; they’re the reason the whole bowl sings.
Their nutty bite pairs with crunchy carrots, sweet peas, juicy red peppers, tart dried cranberries, and toasty sunflower seeds in a way that feels both energizing and comforting. A splash of red wine vinegar, lemon, and olive oil ties it all together with a fresh, lively finish.
You’ll be amazed at how a simple grain can carry so much flavor, texture, and nourishment. Whole grains bring fiber, protein, minerals, and that unmistakable hearty chew that makes every forkful feel like real food.
Try this wheat berry salad and see how a small shift toward whole‑grain cooking can make your meals—and your body—feel even better. Find your Oklahoma grown wheat berries at local shops, farmer’s markets, or Chisholm Trail Milling. For more steps toward wholesome foods and strategies for improving your health, reach out anytime.
Check out this recipe featured on Fox 25 Good Day Oklahoma’s Tasty Tuesday (5/26/2026)
Makes 2 quarts (six 1.5 cup servings)
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked wheat berries
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup sweet peas, frozen
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup sunflower seeds (roasted & salted)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, small diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Preparation
- Mix wheat, carrots, peas, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, parsley, green onion, and bell pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Whisk garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil together then pour over salad and toss.
- Taste the salad and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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Chocolate Chip Wonder
A Whole-Grain Treat to Bring Wonder Back to the Chocolate Chip Cookie
This whole-grain chocolate chip cookie hits all the right spots—crisp, chewy, nutty, rich, and deeply satisfying. The whole grains aren’t a compromise; they’re the reason it tastes so incredible. You’ll be filled with wonder by a cookie that brings more to the table than sugar alone. Whole grains add fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and most importantly, FLAVOR. Give a whole-grain chocolate chip cookie a try and see how a small shift in ingredients can make your baking—and your eating—feel even better. For more steps toward wholesome foods and strategies for improving your health – reach out.
Makes a dozen 3-inch cookies.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped small
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter and salt together until creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until mixed.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, flour, walnuts, oats, and chocolate chips and mix by hand until all the flour has been successfully incorporated.
- Measure tablespoon sized balls placing them 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Then enjoy!
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A Tale of Two Peppers: How Nutrient Density and Soil Health Shape the Food We Eat
Food Isn’t Standardized – It’s Alive With Context
Food is not a standardized product. Or, it shouldn’t be. It is the biological expression of soil, seed, climate, farming philosophy, and human intention. Yet when we talk about “nutrition,” we often pretend these variables don’t exist—as if a pepper grown in depleted soil under artificial inputs is the same as a pepper grown in living soil under the sun. Context matters for the food we eat and our nutrition. Nutrient density is connected to soil health, sun, and genetics.
Because of this, context shapes food as profoundly as it shapes people.
To illustrate this, let’s follow the life of two peppers:
- A heritage pepper grown in rich, compost‑amended soil
- A hybrid pepper grown in depleted soil with synthetic inputs
🍃 Meet Gwen the Heritage Pepper
🌿 Growing Conditions that built nutrient density
This pepper grows in soil rich with organic matter, microbial diversity, and mineral complexity. Moreover, research consistently shows that soil health directly influences nutrient density in crops.
- Organic and biologically active soils produce crops with higher antioxidant levels and higher mineral content.
- Plants grown in diverse soil microbiomes develop stronger phytonutrient profiles.
- Sun exposure and environmental stressors increase vitamin C and polyphenol production.
🍎 A Nutrition Profile Rooted in Living Soil
Peppers grown in living soil often contain:
- 20–50% more vitamin C
- Higher polyphenols and carotenoids
- More minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and zinc
- Greater antioxidant capacity
These differences are well‑documented in meta‑analyses comparing organic vs. conventional produce.
🎨 Color, Flavor, and the chemisty of Aliveness
Heritage peppers grown in nutrient‑rich soil develop:
- Deep, saturated color due to higher carotenoid concentration
- Thicker flesh and more aromatic volatiles (they smell good)
- Complex sweetness and acidity
Flavor compounds in peppers—like esters, terpenes, and aldehydes—are strongly influenced by soil nutrients and environmental stress.
🧠 How Gwen Nourishes your body
Because of their nutrient density, these peppers offer:
- Higher antioxidant intake
- More diverse fibers that support microbiome health
- Better mineral balance
- Greater satiety and metabolic support
This is food that nourishes. Go on with your bad self, Gwen the Heritage Pepper!
🧪 Meet Rue the Industry Pepper
🌾 Growing Conditions That flatten nurtient density
This pepper is grown in monoculture fields or controlled greenhouses using synthetic fertilizers (NPK), pesticides, and hybrid seeds selected for yield, uniformity, and transport durability. Consequently, it is built to be an industrial commodity first and a pepper second.
As a result, this system leads to:
- Soil organic matter declines
- Microbial diversity collapses
- Plants rely on chemical inputs rather than ecological processes
Studies show that crops grown in degraded soil have lower nutrient density and reduced phytochemical complexity.
🍎 A Nutrient Profile diluted by industrial priorities
Peppers grown under these conditions often show:
- Lower vitamin C
- Fewer antioxidants
- Reduced mineral content
- Higher water content (dilution effect)
The “dilution effect” is well‑documented: when crops are bred for size and yield, nutrient concentration decreases.
🎨 Color and Flavor without depth
These peppers are:
- Large, uniform, glossy
- Mild or watery in flavor
- Lower in aromatic compounds (lack of good smell)
- Less vibrant in color
They look perfect but taste flat.
🧠 How Rue Falls Short in Nourishment
Because of their lower nutrient density, these peppers:
- Provide fewer antioxidants
- Offer less microbiome support
- Deliver less satiety
- Have a higher sugar‑to‑nutrient ratio
They fill the stomach but not the nutritional gaps. Rise from the dead land a shadow, Rue the Industry Pepper.
🔍 Why These Difference Matter For Your Health
When we say “eat more vegetables,” we assume all vegetables are nutritionally equivalent. However, they aren’t.
Context matters because:
- Soil health affects nutrient density
- Seed genetics affect flavor and phytochemicals
- Farming practices affect mineral content
- Environmental exposure affects antioxidant production
- Food grown in living systems nourishes differently than food grown in industrial systems
Sunlit bell pepper looks perfect, but how healthy was the soil? How dense are the nutrients inside? Ultimately, a pepper grown in rich soil is not the same food as a pepper grown in depleted soil. Food is a biological system, not a commodity. When we flatten food into standardized units—calories, grams, servings—we erase the ecological relationships that make food nourishing. A pepper grown in living soil is more flavorful, more nutrient‑dense, and more physiologically supportive. It is, in every meaningful way, more alive. Soil health shapes plants and impacts nutrient density and that actively shapes your body and mind.
Want Support Choosing Food That Truly Nourishes?
If you want to understand how increase nutrient-dense foods in your routine, learn more about soil-based nutrition, or use food quality differences to inform your food choices, contact me. I offer personalized support rooted in science, ecology, and practical strategy.
Explore my services to learn how we can work together to transform the way you nourish yourself.
Get Your Read On!
Dive into the research of why context matters for food and our nutrition.
Barański, M., Srednicka‑Tober, D., Volakakis, N., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Stewart, G., … & Leifert, C. (2014).
Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: A systematic literature review and meta‑analyses.
British Journal of Nutrition, 112(5), 794–811.
Benbrook, C., Zhao, X., Yáñez, J., Davies, N., & Andrews, P. (2008).
New evidence confirms the nutritional superiority of plant‑based organic foods.
The Organic Center.
Chongtham, I. R., Montgomery, D. R., & Biklé, A. (2020).
Soil health and nutrient density: Preliminary comparison of regenerative and conventional cropping systems.
PeerJ, 8, e12848.
Mie, A., Andersen, H. R., Gunnarsson, S., Kahl, J., Kesse‑Guyot, E., Rembiałkowska, E., … & Grandjean, P. (2017).
Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: A comprehensive review.
Environmental Health, 16(1), 111.
Montgomery, D. R., & Biklé, A. (2015).
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health.
W. W. Norton & Company.
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Fiber and The Gut Microbiome: A Complicated Relationship with Zero Chill
Why fiber gets complicated when your gut has… well, issues.
Fiber is one of the most important nutrients for gut health — but if you live with IBS, SIBO, GERD, or other digestive challenges, you already know it’s not always that simple. Add GLP‑1 medications into the mix, and fiber becomes even more complicated.
Let’s break down why fiber matters, why it can feel so confusing, and how to approach it in a way that supports your gut without overwhelming it.
Why Fiber Matters for the Gut Microbiome
Fiber is the primary source of fuel for beneficial bacteria in your gut. When you eat fiber‑rich foods — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds — your gut microbes ferment that fiber and produce short‑chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs do so many good things in the human body pharma companies wish they could bottle and sell them.
They build and maintain a strong gut barrier, reduce inflammation, help regulate the immune system, reduce obesity, maintain healthy blood sugar, help maintain a healthy gut‑brain connection, and more. And they are FREE if you grow a diverse microbiota and feed them.
When people reduce fiber intake, the microbiome shifts quickly — and not in a good direction. In one study, switching from a high‑fiber diet to a low‑fiber, high‑sugar diet for just seven days caused new digestive symptoms and changes in the small intestinal microbiome linked to discomfort and increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”)
Fiber – it is essential… but…
Fiber Running Amok: IBS, SIBO, GERD, and Flares, Oh My!
For many people with digestive disorders, fiber can feel like both a friend and a foe.
IBS and SIBO
High‑fiber foods can worsen symptoms like bloating and abdominal discomfort because fiber is fermented by bacteria — and in IBS or SIBO, that fermentation can be excessive or occur in the wrong part of the gut. Research and human experience show that high-fiber diets and high insoluble fiber foods worsen symptoms for many people managing IBS and SIBO. This is because bacteria of the wrong type and in the wrong places ferment that fiber and create gas, bloating, and often pain.
GERD
Fiber itself isn’t harmful for GERD, but high‑fiber foods can sometimes increase fullness and pressure on the stomach, which may worsen reflux in sensitive individuals. This is highly individual.
Flares Beware
Low‑fiber diets can be helpful during acute flare‑ups of IBS or SIBO because they reduce fermentation and gas production. This is why low‑FODMAP or low‑residue diets are often recommended temporarily to calm symptoms.
But long‑term low‑fiber diets can starve beneficial bacteria — which is why the goal is always to reintroduce fiber slowly once symptoms stabilize. Healing is a process and patience is a necessary part of that process.
And here’s where things get even spicier: not everyone with IBS, SIBO, or GERD is on GLP‑1 medications — but plenty are. And some folks don’t develop digestive drama until they start GLP‑1s. Either way, fiber suddenly becomes a whole new puzzle.
Fiber and GLP-1 Medications: A Tricky Combo
GLP‑1 medications reduce appetite and slow how quickly food leaves your stomach. Fiber also increases fullness. Put them together, and it’s easy to undereat — or feel uncomfortably full.
That doesn’t mean you avoid fiber while on GLP-1 medications. It means:
- You may tolerate smaller portions of high‑fiber foods.
- You may need to increase fiber more gradually than someone not on GLP‑1s.
- Hydration becomes even more important.
The goal is to nourish your microbiome without overwhelming your digestive system.
🥗 Why Fiber From Food Beats Fiber From Supplements
Fiber supplements can be helpful in specific situations, but they don’t offer the same benefits as whole foods. Fiber from whole foods do more than just keep you regular – they feed your gut microbes. Diversity is the name of the game when it comes to your microbiome. With low diversity comes gut and metabolism issues. With high diversity comes resilience and the laundry list of benefits I listed off earlier.
Whole foods provide:
- Multiple types of fiber (soluble, insoluble, resistant starch)
- Phytonutrients that support gut health
- A broader range of fermentable materials for beneficial bacteria
- Better microbiome diversity
Supplements lack the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that come with food. They also offer a smaller range of fiber and so don’t nourish gut microbes like food does. You will never have a thriving gut that protects you from infection and illness, processes your food effectively, provides nutrients to the rest of your body, and does its job with out pain and strain, if you are relying on a fiber supplement.
The goal is real whole food.
So… How Do You Get Enough Fiber When Your Gut Is Sensitive? Or When You Fill Up Fast?
Here’s the balanced approach I recommend to clients:
- Start with what you can tolerate now.
- No forcing, no ‘shoulds’, just gentle additions.
- Increase fiber slowly.
- Your microbiome needs time to adjust — especially after a flare or if you’re on GLP‑1s.
- Prioritize whole food fiber.
- Even a small amount helps.
- Use supplements only when needed.
- They are tools – not replacements.
- Work with your symptoms not against them.
- Your gut is giving you information, not criticism. Listen to it.
The Takeaway
Fiber is essential for a healthy gut microbiome — but your body, your symptoms, and your lived experience matter just as much. If you’re dealing with IBS, SIBO, GERD, or navigating GLP‑1 medications, your relationship with fiber may look different from someone else’s.
And that’s okay.
You can still support your gut, nourish your microbiome, and feel better in your body — it just takes a personalized, compassionate approach.
If you want support figuring out how to increase fiber in a way that works for your digestion, your symptoms, and your real life, I’d love to help you build a plan that feels doable and sustainable.
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What’s for Lunch: Wild Rice Junk, Not Perfection
Lunch came late for me today and I was raging hungry. Let’s be clear I was looking for lunch, not perfection. There was no plan, no prep just me and the junk in my kitchen. So, here it goes. I love a wild rice porridge, especially the wild rice porridge at Hell’s Kitchen in Minneapolis. This was NOT that. Left over wild rice in a bowl with milk, and butter – zapped in the microwave for some minutes (maybe 2ish). Cut my small granny smith in quarters while the microwave was working some magic. Added a little less than a full scoop of protein powder and maple syrup to the warm wild rice and stirred it up. I stuck the apples in some crunchy peanut butter and sat down to feast.
- 1/2 cup wild rice that didn’t make it into last night’s pilaf
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- Scant scoop of protein powder
- 1 small green apple
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
Was this a balanced meal? Not exactly. Did it meet my needs? Yes. Like I said – lunch, not perfection. Protein in the middle of the day has been a struggle for me, so I call that 32 grams of protein a win. There are no veggies in this lunch – bummer. But, there is a fair amount of fiber (6.5 grams). This meal made me happy because I love the flavor combo of wild rice, maple, and dairy. It also hit all the nutrients I am working to get in consistently. And tomorrow is another day. If you struggle to get what you need or to even know what you need I can help. Set up a FREE discovery call with me. We can talk about your challenges and how to move forward.
Nutrient breakdown
Based on the amount of food above which are educated estimations of the exact amount I ate. This is a rough estimate.
- Calories: 500 kcal
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated: 10 g
- Unsaturated: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 433 mg
- Significant source micronutrients: Vitamin B12 and phosphorus
- Good source micronutrients: Vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, manganese, zinc, calcium, and potassium.
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Be Blanching: Master Flavor, Freshness, and Meal Prep
To blanch is to boil (or steam) briefly then submerge in ice water. That’s it! Blanching is easy and it is a game changer for meal prep. It is a cooking technique that helps get the most out of vegetables. Using this method brightens and slightly softens veggies. After which vegetables are ready to be slathered in a dip in their starring role for crudites. Blanching also preps vegetables for other dishes.
As part of meal planning this cooking technique:
- preserves the quality of your vegetables for later in the week
- gets a head start on the cooking process, making your vegetables ready to go
- cooks vegetables evenly, making it easier to get an even, finished dish later
Check out this 1-minute primer on blanching, if you need the visual. But, truly – boil some salted water, add your veggies, time them, then give them the cold plunge – easy as that. Once they’re done, dip them, sauce them, or send them to their next destination in a pasta, salad, or soup. The possibilities are endless for a blanched veggie. Blanching as part of meal prep gives you a leg up on a meal later in the week. Check out the services page for information on in home cooking lessons, where you can take skills like blanching and improve your nutrition.
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Homemade Tex-Mex Seasoning
Add instant flavor to your meals with a homemade Tex-Mex seasoning blend
This homemade Tex‑Mex seasoning is one of my favorite tools for staying consistent without overthinking food. Eating well doesn’t require complicated meal prep or perfect planning. Sometimes it’s as simple as having a go‑to seasoning blend that makes real‑life meals taste amazing. When you make seasoning blends you have the power to control the heat, salt, and additives (flavor only, no fillers, anti-caking agents and all that nonsense).
A simple seasoning blend like this removes decision fatigue. You can throw it on chicken, veggies, beans, or eggs and instantly have a meal that tastes intentional — even when the day is chaotic.
Ingredients & Steps
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1.5 tablespoons chili powder (not the hot stuff, the mild sweet kind)
- 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix that! Keep it in a jar or other air tight container. Use it on anything you get a hankering to.
This is the kind of strategy I teach my clients: small tools that make consistency easier. When you have a few basics ready to go – a favorite seasoning blend, blanched vegetables, braised meat – you take the pressure off and make it easier to follow through on your goals.
If you want support building habits like this into your own routine, I’d love to help you create a plan that fits your real life.
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Humble Pot of Beans – A Quick One-Pot Meal
A simple dish from my own kitchen that shows how quick everyday meals can move you toward your goals
The pinto bean holds a special place in my heart. I was a picky eater as a child. A simple pot of beans with cornbread meant we would have an easy dinner with no arguments and full bellies. This quick pot of beans is my way of honoring that memory — celebrating the versatile, low‑cost pinto bean as the star of the show. A supporting cast of carrots, onions, and peppers creates a rich bowl of goodness. Humble yet proud. Comforting and nourishing.
This recipe serves four people and proves that quick quick pot of beans can be both simple and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients & Steps
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1/2 poblano or green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 cups cooked pinto beans (2 cans)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large pot, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high. Once the oil shimmers or picks up speed when you roll it around the pan, add the onion, carrots, and peppers. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes (or until the vegetables get some color) then add the garlic, oregano, chili powder & paprika. Stir that around and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the beans, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low & simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste.
As always, a recipe is a guide. You are the cook. If you want meat, a ham hock is brilliant (you’ll see bits of ham in my picture up top) — it just needs time or a pressure cooker. Or maybe you want the meat and speed, try diced ham or bits of bacon. If you want different veggies, do it. If you want to add fresh herbs, my goodness, why didn’t I think of that?
This is your meal — make it like you own it.
And if you’re craving more simple, real‑life meals like this — the kind that help you stay consistent without overthinking food — that’s exactly what I help clients build. Small, sustainable habits. Quick meals that still nourish. A rhythm in the kitchen that supports your goals instead of stressing you out.
If you’re ready for that kind of support, I’d love to help you create a way of eating that feels like home.
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Walk Like An Italian: Evening Walk, a Healthy Habit
by Brian Gebhart
We’re cleaning up after dinner when our five-year-old son asks if we can go on a passeggiata. Jessica, my wife, and I look at each other, sharing a bemused smile. We’ve been using the word for a while, but it might be the first time we’ve heard it from the mouth of our youngest child, and it’s definitely the first time he’s asked to do it.
The verb passeggiare is Italian for a walk, but it’s a bit more specific than that. A passeggiata
(pronounced pah-say-JAH-tah) refers to a leisurely stroll through one’s neighborhood, city center, or general surroundings. Italians may take un passeggiata at any time of day, but many cities and towns have a traditional evening ramble, where people talk, meet up with family and friends, and maybe drop into a café for a quick drink or snack.It’s a tradition Jessica and I both encountered during our respective times in Italy, and it’s one we appreciated and decided to bring home with us. Although our version takes place in a suburban neighborhood rather than a city center promenade and, compared to the Italian version, is notably less glamorous.
The word itself is characteristic of Italy: such a long, languid, elegant collection of sounds to communicate a simple concept. But like so much else in Italian lifestyle, the simplicity is deceptive. The tradition of the passeggiata can’t be disentangled from all the other fundamental aspects of daily life: food, family, community, the built environment of cities and towns, work and school and mealtime routines. All of those vital systems are arranged in ways that support the practice of passeggiata, and the passeggiata supports them in turn. From the perspective of many Italians, a casual evening walk is a small but important thread woven into their day. Over time, all those threads accrete, becoming an inextricable part of the fabric that makes a healthy and happy life.
There are many health benefits, of course, most obviously the opportunity to move your legs and burn a few calories. Also, simply being outdoors can improve one’s mental health, lower blood pressure, and combat anxiety. Talking with family and friends can have the same effects. And if you take a passeggiata after a meal, it can help reduce harmful spikes in blood sugar. But these kinds of metrics don’t explain the tradition itself, and the true benefits can’t be tallied up like steps on a Fitbit. All of it runs much deeper than that.
Our son is waiting on an answer, looking up with a hopeful expression. It’s a delicate moment, and the decision feels more fraught than it probably should, weighed down by all the burdens of daily life. Because on the one hand, taking 20 or 30 minutes to walk around our neighborhood means delaying the after-dinner cleanup, the dishes, the kids’ baths and bedtime routines. It means less time to relax in front of the TV afterwards, at least if we want to get a good night’s sleep.
But on the other hand, a passeggiata brings the possibility for chance encounters, for surprising sights and sounds and smells, for noticing something new. We’ll be able to talk to each other about whatever’s on our minds, and we might get to chat with neighbors we haven’t seen in a while. Our neighborhood doesn’t seem very exciting at first glance: single-family houses, cars, sidewalks, mailboxes, and all the rest. But when we
take the time to look, we see it’s also filled with trees, birds, flowers, insects, frogs, squirrels, and much more.Perhaps most importantly, the passeggiata reminds us that we’re part of a huge and fascinating world, a fact that makes our lives richer and more fulfilling, as long as we make enough time and space to recognize it. So, in the end, our son doesn’t have to wait long for the response: Andiamo! Let’s go!
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Let The Sunshine In: Get More Than Vitamin D
A sunflower stretches toward the sun to absorb rays and produce food. Chemical magic happens as the green leaves and yellow petals blow in the breeze. I’ll admit to feelings of jealousy knowing plants can make their own food. Turns out we are a little plant too. Our bodies absorb sunlight and make vitamin D. Vitamin D has been called the happy hormone and no doubt has a hand in our mental health but it does so much more than that. It is intimately tied up in bone health, glucose metabolism, immune function, and regulating inflammation.
We are magic just like the plants. The rays from the sun (specifically UVB) hit your skin change cholesterol into vitamin D3. The liver and kidneys change Vitamin D3 into the active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D). Bonus! UVB also triggers a photoprotective response including thickening of the skins outer most layer (stratum corneum keeps unwanted things out and water in), production of melanin (absorbs UV), and increased production of enzymes that repair DNA.
Sun! UV! Skin Cancer! Bah!
Whoa, okay! Excessive UV exposure is associated with skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends always applying broad spectrum sunscreen, seeking shade, and wearing protective clothing. To each their own. I’m not here to argue and toss scientific studies around (if you would like an entry into the argument read this or for a heavier entry read this or this). Humans are not vampires, orcs, or other nocturnal creatures. I will not avoid the sun at all costs and pay for a supplement to provide what I could get from the sun for free.
I know, that sounded like I was arguing. I’m not.
Vitamin D is important for your health and well being. You can take supplements. If you do that please take care to find a trustworthy source (the supplement market is like the wild west y’all, be careful). You can eat foods fortified with vitamin D, but these will not supply the amount you need. Needs differ from person to person based on where you live, your age, your sex, your skin pigmentation, and your health status. The Sun, your health, and your skin go way beyond sunny vitamin D.
Routine sun exposure not only produces vitamin D but also:
- Sunlight (UVB radiation) promotes the production of serotonin and beta-endorphins helping regulate our mood and promote a feeling of happiness.
- Sunlight (UVA radiation) leads to the release of nitric oxide which increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure, and benefits the immune system, cellular function, nervous system and lowers inflammation.
- Sunlight benefits the balance of the skin and gut microbiome.
- Sunlight (blue light) regulates circadian rhythm which can establish healthful sleep patterns reducing depression, improving cognition, and reducing cancer, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease risk.
Sunlight has so much more to offer than vitamin D production. Although the time needed in the sunshine for benefits depends on a lot of factors, a good general goal is 10-20 minutes daily (with arms, legs, hands, face, and neck exposed and sunscreen free) of midday sunlight. If you want to read more Grassroots Health Nutrient Research Institute has some great articles. If you’re not into that, then imagine a grandma slapping the video game controller out of your hand saying, “Get up and get outside. Go get some sunshine and fresh air, it’ll do you good.”