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"D" is for "Debate" . . .
It is probably a good bet that most people today do not get enough sunshine or eat enough mushrooms. As a result, there are probably tens of millions of people walking around with a vitamin D deficiency. So take a supplement, right?
Problem is --for us vegetarians-- there are two different kinds of vitamin D, D2 and D3. D2 is from a plant, while D3 is from an animal. What is the debate about? --Some say that veggy D2 is NOT effective. The Heart Scan Blog is one such naysayer:
"D2 comes from irradiated mushrooms and D3 comes from wool. In other words, D3 is the same kind of vitamin as humans get from the sun. Humans just don’t get enough and we can’t produce it on our own, like the sheep can. (D3 is natural for humans, D2 is not.)"
HSB goes on to describe how D2 is not natural for humans, and thus a poorer supplement. Although, many esteemed doctors and scientists still debate on whether or not D2 is as effective as D3. In fact, in October 2009, Science Daily published a Boston University study that showed vitamin D2 to be just as effective as D3.
As if this were not enough for vegans, even the veggy-D2 supplements are often packaged in animal product! About half of the vitamin D supplements at Whole Foods used gelatin in their capsules. And about 99% of the brands used vitamin D3 instead of D2. Many of the multi vitamins also used D3. Truly vegan supplements, such as VegLife, are difficult to find. VegLife is lanolin free and 'high potency'.
What if you don't like to take supplements. After all, most milks, cereals, powerbars, etc... are "fortified with vitamins" --so which "D" do they use? Soy milks, not surprisingly, use D2. Most dairy milks use D3. Interestingly, not all dairy milks use D3. Some use D2 because it is cheaper than D3. There are also natural food sources of vitamin D. Mushrooms are the only fruit or veggie (vegan food) that naturally contain vitamin D. There is also discussion that when exposed to a ultraviolet light, the mushrooms vitamin D levels increased significantly. It has been demonstrated that when white button mushrooms are exposed to Ultraviolet B radiation, for a short period of time, the level of Vitamin D increases to levels many times the minimum daily requirement.
So eat your mushrooms, get some vegan D2 supplements, and allow yourself some sunlight.
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