Diane McLaren - Natual Health Practitioner

Welcome and thank you for your interest and allowing me to share my passion, training and experiences in natural nutrition, health and wellness with you.  I get so many questions on this topic that this month I want to talk to you about some myths and realities surrounding Vitamin D and as always, I welcome your comments and inquiries.  

Healthy regards,   Diane

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Created exclusively to help you develop informed habits of health ...



Did You Know You Can Take Lots Of Vitamin D...
And Still Be Vitamin D Deficient!

Uncovering The Vitamin D Myths And Truths!



This month I am going to share my answers on a few frequently asked questions I get in my natural health practice month after month.  The complete article (pdf) is available here ...

  • Do I really need Vitamin D?
  • What are the benefits of taking Vitamin D regularly?
  • What kind of Vitamin D is safe and which one should I take?
  • To ensure I get the best results, can I just take Vitamin D by itself?
  • Can you clear up the many news stories I hear about Vitamin D?

These are great questions but before answering them specifically, this is what I always explain to my clients, customers, students and colleagues, it is what you need to know about Vitamin D:

  • Yes, the sun is one of the best sources of Vitamin D.
  • Yes, it is true that people living in the northern hemisphere, (Canada, Northern USA/Europe) are more at Vitamin D deficiency risk during winter months.
  • Yes, it is true that we need Vitamin D to properly absorb calcium

Before you rush out to buy your Vitamin D, please read on because there really is some important information that will help you make better informed decisions on its use.

“Vitamin D” has received lots of news media attention in the last few years and it seems more so this year.  The many news stories about the latest studies would like us to believe it is the most amazing new discovery … but is it really?

From a nutritionist's point of view, there are fundamentals everyone should know about this vitamin yet they are never mentioned in the news stories so that is the information I want to share with you.

It takes 10-15 years to go from research to the latest news story

  • So Is All The Talk About Vitamin D Really New?

The benefits of vitamin and minerals have been recognized throughout the natural health field for years and I have been teaching them to people for over 15 years.  There have been technical advances in the understanding of how Vitamin D impacts the human body in recent years so some of the info I will share with you was not even available when I graduated back in the early 1990’s. 

The reason information is slow to come to light should not be surprising when you consider what Dr. Hugo Rodier, M.D., a recognized authority in nutritional and integrative medicine and psycho-neural immunology said when I attended one of his lectures … “it takes about 10-15 years to go from the research department and scientists to the doctors and (the news) media”.

Fact Is, Vitamin D Has Been Recognized For Centuries

Man is reported to have been aware since early antiquity of the substance we now know as vitamin D. The first scientific description of a vitamin D-deficiency, namely rickets, was provided in the 17th century by both Dr. Daniel Whistler (1645) and Professor Francis Glisson (1650).

The major breakthrough in understanding the causative factors of rickets was the development in the period 1910 - 1930 of nutrition as an experimental science and the appreciation of the existence of vitamins.

Without getting into all the boring details, here are the basics you should know and understand about Vitamin D – I will keep simple.  Vitamin D is what we refer to as a fat-soluble vitamin.

There are 2 types of vitamins: 

  • Water-soluble vitamins that need water to be absorbed
  • Fat-soluble vitamins that need good fats and minerals to be absorbed.

So often, it is not that the person is missing Vitamin D as much as they may be lacking the good fats and/or essential minerals.

You can take Vitamin D and still be Vitamin D deficient!

The fact is, you can take all the Vitamin D you want, but if your body does not already have the good fats and essential minerals, it won’t do you any good because you won’t be able to absorb and assimilate it ... the bottom line is you will remain Vitamin D deficient!

When I was teaching “Fundamentals of Nutrition” at one of the Canada’s leading natural nutrition schools, a favorite final exam question I often used was “What are the benefits of good fats more commonly referred to as Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)? 

The answer is simple, in addition to helping with a variety of body functions; essential fatty acids assist in the supply, assimilation and transportation of fat-soluble vitamins (and that includes Vitamin D).

In plain English ...
Taking Vitamin D alone without complimentary nutrients is practically useless.

I want you to understand why Vitamin D alone may be less effective and what you can do about it.  Because I believe this is an important topic the article is longer than works in an email so I have packaged it into a downloadable pdf document.  Your questions are welcome.



Get the answers in my complete Vitamin D article now (pdf) ...

Do visit my website for all your health supplements and nutrient needs ....



Got Questions About Developing Your Own Habits Of Health?

From complementary consultations to full counselling programs, you are invited to discover for yourself just how effective and rewarding a natural approach to health can be.

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To your good health and happiness,

Diane McLaren
Holistic Health Practitioner, Wellness Coach & Trainer 
Understanding - Guidance - Coaching - Motivation - Success