Looking outside my office windows today, you’d never know it was chilly outside!  The sun is so bright and there’s not a cloud in the sky.  It got me thinking about all of the news lately about how we aren’t getting enough vitamin D.  (Remember your elementary school teacher calling vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin”, because you get it from the sun?) 

If you’re like me, you spend most of your time inside at work or doing things around the house.  Even our children spend more time indoors than they ever have before.  Then, when we are outside, we slather on sunscreen. Also, in many parts of the country, the winter sun is not strong enough to make vitamin D.  All of this means that as a society, we are quickly becoming vitamin D deficient.  But do you know why that is important?

Vitamin D is often touted as the answer to everything from cancer to the sniffles, but can one vitamin really do so much??  The answer may be yes! Most people know that vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and helps protect against osteoporosis, but research hints that it may also help prevent, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, the flu and more!   More vitamin D can benefit your youngsters, too. In a recent analysis of 3,500 American teenagers, low blood levels of vitamin D were linked to  increased blood pressure, higher blood sugar, and obesity—all factors that could lead to cardiovascular disease later in life.  Vitamin D is quite a multi-tasker! Boosting your family’s intake of this essential nutrient is a smart move. 

So, what can you do to increase your family’s vitamin D levels?  You can spend more time in the sunshine playing games, taking family walks or even having picnics outside. Just remember- too much unprotected sun exposure can increase risk of skin cancer.  Like everything, keep a balance.

You can also make sure you eat more foods rich in vitamin D, which can be a little bit of a challenge since vitamin D occurs naturally in just a handful of foods.   There are also fortified foods like milk, but getting the recommended Daily Value of D from milk means drinking 4 glasses (a whole quart!) of milk every day.

Thankfully, there’s another delicious option – seafood!  Few people realize that a 5 oz serving of shrimp packs more vitamin D than two 8-oz glasses of milk.  Fatty fish like salmon are also a great source of vitamin D. 

So, now that winter is upon us and the days are shorter and cooler, try adding some seafood to your family’s diet to boost everyone’s intake of vitamin D.  Below is a great shrimp recipe to get you started.

And, if it’s a day like today on St. Simons Island, take 10 minutes and eat the shrimp outside (or at least sit in front of a sunny window) and soak up even more of the sunshine vitamin!

Sweet and Spicy Key Lime Coconut Shrimp

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Makes 2 meal servings or 4 appetizer servings

• 1 (10 oz) package SeaPak® Coconut Shrimp
• 1 packet orange marmalade sauce (included with Shrimp)
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt

Optional Garnish

• 4 leaves red leaf lettuce
• 1 lime, sliced in quarters
• 2 Tablespoons toasted coconut

BAKE shrimp according to package directions.

WHISK together orange marmalade, lime juice, coconut milk, corn starch, brown sugar and crushed red pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Cook sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Season the sauce with a dash or two of salt to taste and remove from heat and set aside.

PLACE lettuce leaves onto serving plates. Divide cooked shrimp onto plates and drizzle with the warm sauce. Serve any remaining sauce in ramekins. Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and slices of lime if desired.