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. Sue Gilbert Sue is a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and product development. She has written numerous articles on children's health and nutrition for parenting publications. 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. The activated substance then goes to the liver where final conversion takes place. 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. Butter, eggs and fatty fish such as herring, mackerel and salmon naturally contain the vitamin. 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.