Over 1 billion people suffer from a lack of the “sunshine” vitamin.

Prior to the year 2000, very few doctors believed in being Vitamin D deficient. As more technology became available, researchers uncovered the truth and the results were worse than expected.

According to an article on Mercola.com, after 2000 the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 32 percent of children and adults throughout the US were vitamin D deficient […] The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 50 percent of children aged one to five years, and 70 percent of children between the ages of six and 11, are deficient or insufficient in vitamin D. Researchers […] estimate that 50 percent of the general population is at risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency.

So, knowing all this, what are some common signs that you may be vitamin D deficient?

  •  You’re vegan and don’t consume the recommended amounts of vitamin D

Foods rich in vitamin D are egg yolks, cheese, fish, fish oils and fortified milk. If you are a strict vegan who doesn’t eat these foods, it might be best to take a vitamin D supplement to make up for these foods you don’t eat.

  •  You are 50+

When people start aging, their kidneys become less able to convert vitamin D to its active form – therefore increasing their risk of the “sunshine” vitamin.

  • You wear sunblock or limit your exposure to the sun

Although sunscreen and sunblock are excellent for protecting your skin against aging and possible skin cancer, wearing it could also be preventing your skin to be absorbing vitamin D from the sun.

  •  You’ve been feeling “blue”

Exposure to light directly impacts our  levels serotonin, a brain hormone linked with mood. Researchers have evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 patients. Those with low levels of vitamin D were 11 times more likely to be depressed.