From an early age, we're told that we should drink our milk to get calcium and eat some oranges to get Vitamin C. Though both of those are, in fact, essential micronutrients, they seem to get way too much of the love. After all, kidney beans have calcium and brussels sprouts have Vitamin C, but no one is insisting we eat these daily. Besides, there are plenty of other vitamins and minerals that the body needs on a daily basis to function properly.

Vitamin D is sometimes referred to as the sunshine vitamin. Our body makes it thanks to the sun converting chemicals in our skin into an active form called calciferol. Without it, our bodies can’t properly absorb calcium. This has a negative effect on bone health, and we don’t know about you, but we plan on using our arms and legs for a long time. Getting the right amount of Vitamin D can even help you to fight off respiratory illness. Low levels of Vitamin D are also associated with brain no work good, er sorry, cognitive decline.

Mother Nature must have known what she was doing when it comes to Vitamin D. Since she made the sun responsible for its synthesis, she did not really put it in many foods aside from fatty fish, liver, and mushrooms. Makes sense. Unfortunately, prolonged sun exposure can have lots of ugly side effects such as wrinkles, discoloration, and that dreaded C-word, cancer.  What the heck, nature?

We here at Bro Glo encourage a golden tan. Perhaps you have heard of our amazing products? We are fans of getting your tan from us and using an SPF to keep the harmful rays of the sun at bay. However, we also recognize that avoidance of the sun can result in low levels of Vitamin D. Here are some tips to make sure you don’t break a hip:

• Opt for early morning sun exposure: Showing yourself to the sun sometime between 5:00 and 6:30 am will help you body to produce Vitamin in D while reducing your chances of getting a sunburn. Treat yourself to a morning walk. Feel free to do it topless.
• Make an effort to eat more foods with Vitamin D: Be a rebel and get some sardines on that pizza. Choose the salmon over the chicken. Make yourself a mushroom omelet.
• Consider a supplement: If you work third shift or are just not willing to get up before 9 am, consider a Vitamin D supplement.

Some people will be able to spend enough time in the sun to have all of their Vitamin D needs met, but others may burn too easily. If that sounds like you, then getting too much sun is just not a risk worth taking. You want to get the right amount of sunshine, and if that is not easy for you to do, then consider the above options. Don’t you worry about not being able to get a tan. We’ve got that covered.