Vitamin D Deficiency Has Emerged as a Silen...( Start of Daylight Saving Time Declare...),Health

Start of Daylight Saving Time Declared 'Vitamin D Day' to Remind Americans to Get More of the Sunshine Vitamin

WASHINGTON, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- As we get ready to change our clocks for Daylight Saving Time, the National Milk Mustache "got milk?" Campaign is declaring it Vitamin D Day to raise awareness of the important role of the "sunshine vitamin."

Even though we have the ability to make our own vitamin D when the ultraviolet rays of the sun hit our skin, many Americans fail to get enough vitamin D. In fact, vitamin D deficiency in this country is being called a silent epidemic. The prudent use of sunscreen, sun-blocking pollution and long, cold winters indoors are partially to blame.

By springing forward in March you'll gain an extra hour of sunlight and more opportunities to catch some rays, but you can't always count on the sun to supply all of the vitamin D you need. That's why it's even more important to look to your diet for your D, according to registered dietitian and Food Network host Ellie Krieger, who is sporting a white upper lip to extol the virtues of this vital vitamin and talk about milk as "liquid sunshine."

"It's alarming to see so many people fail to get enough vitamin D, especially when milk is such an easy and convenient source of this essential nutrient," Krieger said. "Now more than ever we're learning about the health risks linked to vitamin D deficiency."

Milk is one of the few food sources of vitamin D. In fact, it's the leading source of vitamin D in the American diet. The recommended three 8-ounce glasses of lowfat or fat free milk provide 75 percent of the daily value for vitamin D. Milk also provides eight other essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium and vitamin A, which many Americans also lack.

Krieger is the first registered dietitian to don the famous milk mustache - joining the ranks of more than 250 actors,
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