Get Vitamin D from the Sun

While sunshine may be beneficial to your health it can also take its toll. Sunshine provides our bodies Vitamin D, but it turns out that in California you can only get the UVB rays that the body converts into Vitamin D during certain times of the day and certain months. Fortunately we're in the Vitamin D season from March to November and can enjoy its health benefits if we know when to soak up the rays.

Sunlight is made up of around 1,500 wavelengths.  UVB is the only wavelength that will produce vitamin D when hitting unexposed skin. Other waveslengths may contribute to increased  risk of skin cancer and photoaging of skin. Determine the ideal times of year for safe and effective sun exposure, and avoid exposure during times that UVB rays are not present.

The most efficient way to ensure our body gets the right amount vitamin D is to leverage and take advantage the sun.

When we get sun at the right time during the day, our body converts ultraviolet rays, specifically ultraviolet (UVB) radiation into a chemical reaction - converting a prohormone in our skin into vitamin D.

It's estimated that more than 90% of our vitamin D3 requirements comes from sun exposure... anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes of the sun on our unprotected face, arms, legs or back every other day of the week.

We're able to create vitamin D3 on our own when we're exposed to the sun that's at least 50 degrees above the horizon.

Astronomical Applications Dept.
U.S. Naval Observatory
aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.php

June 8  10 a.m. - 3:40 p.m. Los Angeles

June 8  10:15 a.m. - 3:55 p.m. Sacramento
April 8 11:20 a.m.-3 p.m.
September 11:30 a.m.-2:40 p.m.
(October - March not at all)

June 8  10:05 a.m. - 3:50 p.m. South Lake Tahoe

June 8   9:50 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. San Diego
March 8 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sept. 8 10:40 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Oct. 8 Noon-2:10 p.m.
(November - February not at all)

10:20 a.m.- 4 p.m. Redding
(October-March not at all)

San Francisco June 8  10:15 a.m. - 4 p.m.
September 8 11:30 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
( October - March not at all)