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FEBRUARY 2017 CHEBEAGUE ISLAND COUNCIL CALENDAR
Call us to get the most from your dollar this winter!!
We will clean and service most appliances, including gas stoves, gas fireplaces, gas dryers,
water heaters, Monitors, Toyo stoves, on-demand water heaters, wall-hung systems, floor
models, and—of course—all furnaces and boiler systems.
LnL Enterprises
Home/Office 207-809-0373
Linda Larrabee
General Manager
*
207-272-4487
Tim Larrabee
State-Licensed Master
*
207-844-3450
Call us for Your Heating (Oil, Propane, Natural Gas, Solar), HVAC, and Plumbing Needs!
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. • Monday through Friday
24-Hour Emergency Service
Wellness Matters: Vitamin D and Your Health
by Jenny Hackel
Scientists have discovered that millions of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, not at levels severe enough to
cause rickets, but enough to contribute to immune deficiencies, neurologic illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease,
and bone diseases such as osteoporosis. While the use of sunscreen has stemmed the tide of skin cancer and
sun-related skin damage, it can also contribute to vitamin D deficiency, since the exposure to the sun’s rays
stimulates the body to make vitamin D. In addition, it is difficult to obtain enough vitamin D through food
allone, unless the vitamin has been added to the food, as it has with milk and orange juice, for instance.
Those of us living in the northern latitudes, where for half of the year the sun’s rays are not strong enough
to help us make vitamin D anyway, are especially prone to vitamin D deficiency. The current Recommended
Daily Allowance is 400 to 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D for those 1 to 70 years of age and 800 IU
for those over 70. Yet many health professionals (including me) recommend that people consume 1000 to
2000 IU per day, since so many of us are deficient unless we have taken 600 IU per day for years and vitamin D
toxicity is rare enough with these intake levels that the benefit likely outweighs the risk. And because vitamin
D is fat soluble, you can actually take your “daily intake” in a single weekly dose, such as in the form of four
2000-IU tablets every Sunday.
But instead of relying solely on supplements (I myself hate pills), you should try to include foods containing
vitamin D in your daily diet. Every 8-ounce cup of vitamin D–fortified milk has 100 IU. If you cannot tolerate
or do not drink milk, try fortified soy, almond, or rice milk or look for fortified fruit juices, but watch the
sugar content. Eat fortified cereals; for example, a 3/4-cup serving of bran flakes provides 25 percent of the
Recommended Daily Allowance, or approximately 150 IU. A 3-ounce serving of an oily fish like salmon, trout,
mackerel, sardines, or tuna provides 150 to 600 IU. A teaspoon of cod liver oil packs 500 IU of vitamin D.
Interestingly, certain mushrooms, like portobello, that have been exposed to sunlight provide 900 IU per cup
of chopped mushroom. Adults over the age of 70 would do well to take a daily combination supplement of
vitamin D and calcium since this vitamin–mineral duo is critical for maintaining bone health. So as we raise a
toast on Valentine’s Day, let’s raise a glass of milk, because it also contains over 300 mg of calcium!
Call
Sharkey Graphic Solutions
for all your graphic design needs!
P: (207) 655.8668
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F: (207) 655.9669
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C: (207) 749.3475
graphics@sharkeygraphics.com
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www.sharkeygraphics.com