words by Sarah Dobbs
Blue skies, sun shining, cool nights
and warm days-perfection is currently
available on the Tablelands! With all
this sunshine it’s the ideal time to top
up the old vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D, aka the ‘Sunshine vitamin’,
is incredibly important to us. It’s
synthesised on the skin by sunlight but
there are only a few foods that contain
the sunshine vitamin and not in great
enough quantities to ignore the action
of sunlight. The sunshine vitamin is
necessary for the absorption of calcium
so it’s indispensable to our bones.
Rickets is not as common as it once
was, but it is a prolonged vitamin
D deficiency that causes it. Vitamin
D deficiency has been named and
shamed as contributing to a variety
of conditions including osteoporosis,
depression, anxiety, diabetes, weight
gain, asthma and low immunity…that’s
quite a list!
I’m sure that’s brought up plenty of
questions so here come some answers!
You’re more likely to have a vitamin
D deficiency if you are vegan (more
on that in a minute), have limited
exposure to sun, impaired digestive
function, have darker skin or are frail
and/or elderly. That’s the short list but
you get the idea.
As mentioned, there are some foods
that contain vitamin D. These are
butter, milk, egg yolks, cod liver oil and
sprouted seeds. This is why vegans
are at a greater risk of vitamin D
deficiency. But vegans don’t need to
miss out! Plant based sources include
mushrooms and tofu. Some foods are
fortified with vitamin D. There are also
supplements. And of course, sunlight!
Sunlight is the most important source
of vitamin D.
Delicious paleo-friendly cake, loveley served with cream or yogurt.
Ingredients:
Method:
Wash oranges , put in large pot
& cover with cold water. Press a
2 Whole Valencia Oranges plate down over the top of the
(about 400gm weight)
oranges to keep them under
4 large eggs
water. Boil for about 40 minutes
175gm desiccated coconut until skins have softened. Drain
150gm rapadura sugar
and cool.
10gm baking powder
Cut cooled oranges into
quarters, remove pips & process
in a food processor until you
have a smooth pulp. Add the
eggs & process until just mixed.
Add the dry ingredients &
process again until just mixed.
Pour the mixture into a loaf tin
22cm x 12cm & bake at 180C
for about an hour until firm to
the touch and lightly coloured
on top.
Find our cakes & brownies at The Closet
Hippy, The Famers Co-op, Atherton Health
Food Centre, The Nest (Cairns) & Origin
(Port Douglas)
Facebook: Healthyhubqld
And the big question is always how to
get enough sunlight without risking
skin cancer. I consulted the Cancer
Council for this, and it turns out that
we only need a few minutes of sunlight
a day up here on the FNQ Tablelands.
Opt for times outside peak UV levels
which are usually before 10am and
after 3pm. Take your shirt off! The skin
is a massive organ and the more you
expose to sunlight the more vitamin D
is made.
So, grab your morning cuppa, show
some skin and bask in the morning sun
to warm up and strengthen your bones
the passive, lizard-inspired way!
Sarah is a Natural HealthPractitioner in
Kuranda with a passion
for nutrition as well as
being a Bowen Therapist
and Homeopath.
Find her at Simply
Healing m. 0402 804 951
www.simplyhealing.net.au
Tablelands Biodynamic
Organic Farmers Co-op
Everyone welcome!
You don’t need to be a member
Fresh Fruit & Veg
Local Produce
Groceries
Grains
Nuts
Meats
BULK DISCOUNTS ~ MEMBERS DISCOUNTS 10%
7E Herberton Road, Atherton Ph. 4091 1268
Open: Mon-Fri 9.30am - 5:30pm Sat 9am - 12pm
June / July 2019 What’s On & Where To Go 7