What Exactly is Vitamin D? And Are You Getting Enough?

📚 Read time: 4 minutes

Coming up: sun, salmon, sardines, fortified foods, lots of calcium, why you might not actually be illness-prone, the many ways Vitamin D is essential, and how you can get loads more.

When you think of Vitamin D, you probably think of the sun. ☀️

(... and you probably also think about living in Ireland and not getting enough of the stuff)

Yep. Us too. 😞

But, here’s the thing—you don’t necessarily NEED more sunshine:

Vitamin D (which we all need to survive and thrive*) is available in other forms; like food and supplements.

*Vitamin D is responsible for helping with LOADS of bodily functions. It supports your immune system, strengthens bones and muscles, helps with mental health, boosts testosterone levels, and may lower your risk of cancers and other chronic diseases.

👋 Hi. We’re Elaine and Robert, the married-couple parent team behind Sentro Labs…

… and we reckon Vitamin D is one of the world’s most underrated supplements.

What Vitamin D can do

Vitamin D helps with LOTS of essential stuff:

Mood regulation (can help with depression, anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder)
Thyroid regulation (and Vitamin D deficiency might contribute to thyroid disorders)
Reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases (like MS and rheumatoid arthritis)
Testosterone levels in men (ideal if you’re getting a bit older, like Rob is 😉)
Strengthening bones and teeth (good for athletes, kids, and older people)
Supporting muscle mass and strength (ideal for hitting the gym harder)
May reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia
Helping wounds to heal quicker (great if you’re injured or sick)
May help to prevent some cancers (especially colon cancer)
Immune system function (to prevent you from getting ill)

💡 Interestingly, Vitamin D does many of these things by helping our bodies absorb calcium. And without Vitamin D, the body can’t effectively absorb calcium—another reason why Vitamin D is so important.

One last very-important point: some people think they’re prone to getting sick, or have poor immune systems. For some people, that’s true. But many of them are simply deficient in Vitamin D…

… so, if you’re often sick or feeling run-down, you might be able to fix this simply by getting more Vitamin D.

Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

In short, probably not.

Around the world, an estimated 50% of people don’t get enough of the stuff.

(... and in Ireland, where we see less of the sun than many other countries, there’s an even higher chance of Vitamin D deficiency!).

How do I get more Vitamin D?

☀️ The world’s most common and natural Vitamin D source is the sun…

… and just 10–30 minutes of sunshine, a few times a week, can help your body naturally produce enough Vitamin D.

🥩 Some of the best foods for getting Vitamin D include :

Some cheese (especially fortified or full-fat ones)
Egg yolks (especially from free-range chickens)
Fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel + sardines
Fortified milk, and some fortified fruit juices
Some nutritional yeasts
Some fortified cereals
Some mushrooms
Tinned tuna
Beef liver
Red meat

Many people also top up their Vitamin D levels by taking a supplement.

… but that’s not quite as easy as it sounds:

The problem with (some) Vitamin D supplements

Taking a supplement is a VERY simple and convenient way to get more Vitamin D.

(and Vitamin D pills are some of the world’s most commonly-taken supplements)

But:

Some supplement companies are unreliable
Some companies work with unreliable suppliers
Some supplements contain less Vitamin D than they claim

For years, we took a variety of Vitamin D pills:

✅ Sometimes, they worked.
❌ Sometimes, they didn’t.

In short, the quality was unpredictable—and so were the results. Which means: we were wasting time and money and energy on the wrong pills.

(... and we had similar experiences with many other supplements we were taking)

So: that’s one of the reasons we started making our own—to control exactly what we were putting in our bodies.

Elaine + Rob + Sentro Labs

We're normal people in our 40s—with jobs and kids and life and other obligations.

… and like many people in their 40s, we like taking care of our health.

Because many of the supplements we were taking weren’t doing what we wanted them to do, we started making our own. And two of them include Vitamin D:

Where you’ll find our Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an important ingredient in two of our supplements:

HARMONY, for women in menopause and perimenopause. Featuring Vitamin D, Magnesium Bisglycinate, Zinc Bisglycinate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Selenium, and Lion’s Mane, it can help with stress, mood, energy, weight management, hot flashes, and many more symptoms.

"Harmony has worked wonders for me. My mood is so much more stable now, and I’m no longer battling constant fatigue. I’m sleeping better, waking up refreshed, and feeling more like myself again!" - Jenny, 47

PERFORMANCE. A testosterone-boosting complex featuring Vitamin D, Maca Root, Zinc, Selenium, Fenugreek, L-Arginine, and Carnitine, it can help men increase their sex drive, muscle mass, strength, energy, and mood.

"Would definitely recommend! Performance brought my energy levels back. I can feel the difference in my libido, and this has made a big difference in our efforts to start a family!" - Ryan, 38