I never fully appreciated the sun until I moved to the east coast. I grew up in Arizona my entire life (where it literally rains on average 12 days/year!) so I was unaware of the effects that weather has on your mood. Moving to NYC was a huge wake up call for me. Year after year, blizzard after blizzard, I started to really miss and crave the sun. Sure, I traveled a ton and could get away for weekends here and there, but for the weeks when I was in town and it was cold, dark and rainy/snowy I felt out of whack. Come to find out, after a simple blood test done by my doctor, I had a serious Vitamin D deficiency which was affecting my mood and metabolism. Many people are deficient in Vitamin D (even those who live in warm places), but it made me realize the importance of Vitamin D – and I decided to make more of an effort to get sun on a morning walk/take my breakfast outside, eat foods rich in Vitamin D, and take a Vitamin D supplement (until my levels got back to normal.) *I have mentioned before, that I do not like taking tinnitus supplements and try to get all of my nutrients through food. This is just a personal preference, but I do not think supplements are bad in any way! I feel so grateful that my levels are finally stable (living in LA has definitely helped this.) For the times, when I am in NYC visiting friends, or traveling to cold/gloomy places, I wanted to share a few tips/tricks that help me maintain those levels and my mood.
1. Aim to get 15 minutes of direct sunlight (without sunscreen or with a sunscreen that doesn’t block sun absorption) a day.
2. Eat fish like salmon, halibut, or canned tuna at least once a week. Experts also recommend foods like egg yolks and mushrooms (I personally don’t eat mushrooms because they’re a nightshade and inflammatory.)
3. Take a high quality Vitamin D3 supplement 5000IU/day.
4. Take a magnesium salt bath or supplement (although magnesium is absorbed best through the skin.)
5. Lastly, I truly believe that food is medicine. I eat according to the season and look at what fruits and veggies are fresh at that time of year. Things like sweet potatoes, squash, and bone broth are ideal during the winter months.
For all of mood boosting/de-stressing tips be sure to head here. This week’s giveaway is…$250 worth of Hamptons Sun sunscreen (one of my favorite brands – it smells heavenly!) and $250 of my favorite end of the summer goodies like these Quay sunnies. To enter, simply sign up for my newsletter and comment below, “Signed up!” Good luck!
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Such a cute post! <3
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Yes absolute sunshine is so vital to our daily health and lifestyles. I adore ❤️ the Sun, but respect it at the same time. I love this post, you and your new cute little Puppy are so cute. :)
🌸🍃LA BIJOUX BELLA 🌸🍃| By Mia | A Creative Lifestyle Blog
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Vitamin D is super important and I try my best to take vitamin D spray in Winter time when the light is almost non-existent in Finland.
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signed up! similarly, per my
doctor, I take a supplement during winter/spring, but much prefer stopping in summer and focusing on nutritients through diet only!
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How beautiful the photos; How tender with the dog. The look is great and the towel has enchanted me
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Love your blogs and you are stunning. My favorites are your health and wellness blogs. Signed up!
YES! So glad you touched on this subject. Vitamin D is the most important one to take every day. I am such an advocate!
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Great tips! Signed up!
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All signed up :)
Signed up!! P.S. Vitamin D looks good on you girl. I moved out to the West Coast from growing up in Wisconsin and it truly does have the ability to lift your mood when you’re exposed to sunlight & warmth.
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Signed up! Thanks!
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That pup is so cute!! Signed up! <3
Hi Kat,
Do you avoid all the nightshades? e.g. potato, eggplant, tomato, peppers? could you do a post on this and your reasons? thank you!! :)
Hi! Yes I took a blood serotype test and those foods (nightshades) came back as inflammatory for me so I avoid!
I see in the comments you took a blood serotype test. Can you explain? Is that something you do through your physician?
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Great tips, Kat! Long time reader and loving your new wellness series. Signed up for your newsletter!
Heather
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Kat can you do a post with some tips on how to strike a balance while working from home? I am not self employed and sometimes tie myself to my laptop far too long for my job and struggle to find a productive space in my apartment. Just moved from Los Angeles to Seattle Washington with no sunshine and struggling to carve out to get done up to feel better during the day, take a lunch etc. would love some insight from someone who runs their own business and schedule on how to survive this lol I had no idea how difficult it could be to just be a one man show all day ! :p Help lol
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[…] finally feeling settled in my new home/hometown, to an incredible trip to Provence, getting my sweet pup Charlie, and ending the summer in Positano for a magical wedding – it was truly one for the books! […]