[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-shadow-and-vitamin-d\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-shadow-and-vitamin-d\/","headline":"Me and my shadow: Is your sunshine the “right” sunshine for vitamin D production?","name":"Me and my shadow: Is your sunshine the “right” sunshine for vitamin D production?","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest We produce vitamin D from sunlight exposure, but not all sunshine is created equal. Only a narrow spectrum of sunlight ultraviolet radiation (UV) stimulates our body\u2019s production of vitamin D, and it\u2019s most intense at the equator where the sun is directly overhead. However, as you move […]","datePublished":"2011-08-08","dateModified":"2026-04-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/osteoporosis-blog.jpg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/osteoporosis-blog.jpg","height":512,"width":1024},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-shadow-and-vitamin-d\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY","name":"Treatment & Toxicity -- Benefits and dangers of supplementing with Vitamin D. Dr Reinhold Vieth","description":"Dr. Reinhold Vieth is Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, and the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Toronto. He is an internationally recognized expert on the clinical effectiveness of vitamin D as well as its pharmacology and safety. More at: www.utoronto.ca\/nutrisci\/ faculty\/Vieth\/","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/MIDWA9-cGdY\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/MIDWA9-cGdY\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/MIDWA9-cGdY\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/MIDWA9-cGdY\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/MIDWA9-cGdY\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2011-05-13T17:45:13+00:00","duration":"PT45M17S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MIDWA9-cGdY","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChcEh0zusarIuYIh91lrnhg#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChcEh0zusarIuYIh91lrnhg","name":"Lindsay Keith","description":"","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_kNTdp4xXkdHLKdEEMrx3NiTABYJW3ECGO2jf23WA0kB0I=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":110666}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MIDWA9-cGdY#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1155}]},"about":["Bone Nutrition"],"wordCount":394,"keywords":["Vitamin D"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe produce vitamin D from sunlight exposure, but not all sunshine is created equal.Only a narrow spectrum of sunlight ultraviolet radiation (UV) stimulates our body\u2019s production of vitamin D, and it\u2019s most intense at the equator where the sun is directly overhead. However, as you move away from the equator, UV radiation varies by season, being the most intense in the summer when the sun is high in the sky. In northern areas, the slant of the sun is such that during the winter months we produce virtually no vitamin D.As getting vitamin D from the sun is so important, I am delighted to share with you a very simple system for estimating the Vitamin D\u2013generating potential of your sunlight. It comes from Canadian vitamin D authority, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, who reports that all you need to do is to look at your shadow. If your shadow is shorter than you are, then you are able to produce vitamin D from this sunlight. If your shadow is longer than you are then you know you are not being exposed to that small spectrum ultraviolet radiation that allows for vitamin D production.I tried the simple system myself here in Syracuse, New York, in mid-July:–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At 7 AM, my shadow was much taller than I am,–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 by 11:30 AM, with the sun reaching directly overhead, it was very short,–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 by 1:30 PM, it was even shorter,–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 by 3:30 PM, the shadow was still shorter than I, but growing\u2026.–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and by 4 PM, me and my shadow were about the same size.From past research we know that these hours around midday are indeed the prime time for vitamin D production. Actually this little tidbit is but one part of a very impressive vitamin D lecture Dr. Vieth recently presented at a conference in London. For a YouTube video of this lecture I refer you to View referenced articleOh yeah, be sure to pick a sunny day for this experiment. If it is a cloudy day, you will not see your shadow at all. For a complete breakdown of every nutrient your bones need, see our guide to bone health nutrition and the 20+ nutrients your bones need.For a complete breakdown of the most effective options, see our guide to the best supplements for bone health."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Bone Nutrition","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Me and my shadow: Is your sunshine the “right” sunshine for vitamin D production?","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-shadow-and-vitamin-d\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]