Our skin transforms ultraviolet light from the sun into vitamin D, and vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to rickets, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and a new study adds cancer and autoimmune disease to the list.
Published in the journal Genome Research, experts mapped out more than 200 genes directly influenced by vitamin D and found vitamin D deficiency is linked to autoimmune diseases like type-1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease, and cancers such as leukemia and colon cancer.
The researchers say vitamin D is essential in triggering the immune system’s T cells, which fight infections in the body. So a vitamin D deficiency leaves the body more vulnerable to sickness and disease.
While the optimal dose of vitamin D is still unclear, the scientists recommend people get at least 25 to 50 micrograms each day.
Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish – like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna – eggs, liver, mushrooms, and foods fortified with vitamins and minerals, such as milk, yogurt, bread, margarine, and some breakfast cereal.
Image credit: mommamia
Red meat doesn’t have a good reputation when it comes to heart health. Foods like beef and steak are high in cholesterol, a 
Processed foods come in many forms; meat like hot dogs and cold cuts, canned vegetables preserved in salt, high-sodium frozen dinners, and even pasteurized milk.
Meat, whether it is beef, pork, chicken, or fish, is a high-energy food, meaning every bite has a lot of calories; unlike vegetables which have fiber, making them low-calorie foods. Meat does not contain fiber.
Your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes, all increase if you’re overweight or obese.
People love meat, double cheeseburgers, fried chicken, Canadian bacon, all of it! We love our meat, but meat has a dicey reputation.
A bran muffin and a cup of coffee in the morning might have you scrambling to the bathroom, but whole-grains, like bran, are good for you.
