We currently live in Texas, but are being relocated to northern New York. I have heard it would be good to start taking vitamin D supplements since I won't be getting very much sun during the long winter. Do my family and I need a vitamin D supplement since we are moving north?

You may need to take a vitamin D supplement, depending on the time you spend outdoors, the foods you eat and the color of your skin. Vitamin D is an important vitamin because it helps bones to absorb and retain calcium. Our bodies produce vitamin D by the action of sunlight on our skin. It occurs in the deep layer of the skin, where ultraviolet radiation activates the synthesis of vitamin D. The activated substance then goes to the liver where final conversion takes place. It takes only 3 to 10, 20 minute sessions of sunlight exposure each week on any small patch of skin.

The pigment in dark skinned people can actually block up to 95 percent of the ultraviolet rays from reaching the deep layer of the skin. Therefore, if you find yourself housebound this winter and days go by with minimal sunshine or the kids don't get outside to play and have virtually every piece of skin is covered against the cold, you may want to consider a supplement which contains vitamin D. Or, you could be sure to consume food rich in vitamin D.

Milk is fortified with vitamin D to a level of 100 International Units (IU) per cup. Butter, eggs and fatty fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon naturally contain the vitamin. A three ounce portion of salmon contains 425 IU, 3 ounces of herring have 725 IU. If you and your family are drinking two glasses of milk a day, you will be getting sufficient vitamin D and further supplementation isn't necessary. Most yogurts and cheeses aren't made with fortified milk, so they are not good sources of the vitamin and don't count towards your intake.

In 1997 new levels for adequate intakes of vitamin D were established. For infants, children, teens and adults up to age fifty, 200 IU Vitamin D per day are recommended. As you age, your body's ability to make vitamin D decreases and the recommended adequate intake increases to 400 IU per day. Don't take more than 400 IU of vitamin D a day, unless you've been told to by your doctor. That's because vitamin D can accumulate in your body and reach toxic levels. Most overdoses of vitamin D come from taking too many supplements, not from eating too many vitamin D rich foods, or too much sunlight.

The amount of sunlight necessary to get adequate exposure for vitamin D supplements is still a safe exposure time from a skin safety standpoint. If you plan on being out in the sun beyond 15 minutes, be sure to put on your sunscreen. This winter, make an effort to get outside for walks, taking off your mittens or hat and scarf if the wind and chill allow it, so that you can get your vitamin D naturally from the sunshine. It will help your bones and probably make you feel better.