There are apps which can track your vitamin d given a location and the times of day when you can produce vitamin d given the angle of the sun.
e.g. dminder https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ontometric...
e.g. dminder https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ontometric...
I'm in Dallas, TX which has a reasonable window of about three hours in the middle of every day where the sun is high enough to shine a substantial amount of vitamin-D-producing UVB rays. Even so it takes conscious effort to schedule an hour outside in minimal clothing and it's hard to do when it's cold and doesn't work if the weather is overcast.
In the winter I'm only able to get vitamin D from sunlight maybe once a week.
Now I take vitamin D supplements[2] and I'm experimenting with UVB bulbs made for lizard terrariums.
1. https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/sunscreen-sun-...
2. Vitamin D supplements are much cheaper if you get a pill maker, empty pill shells, and a bulk bag of vitamin D powder: about 5¢/50k IU pill which is a week's dose.
Is this common? The only people I know doing that were making caps for recreational drugs.
I am in New Zealand, where caps appear to be available online for health supplements (I just did a quick search), so I’m guessing that purchasing caps doesn’t flag you in some system as a potential drug abuser.
Among those that like to mess with supplements, yes. Buying something in bulk and filling your own pills in a purpose made tray is much more economical than buying bottles of them. At least as long as spending the time and dealing with the shitty mess that comes with such an activity.
Before your comment, I would have never considered that drug users would make use of it.
In the US, last I checked I believe there may be restrictions involved with the expensive automated machines though, because of the amount of what are essentially scammers mass producing bad supplements or just outright counterfeiting known brands. The efficacy of such restrictions is dubious at best, since most of the problem is going to be originating from outside the US anyways.
Whole Foods has 365 vitamin D capsules in 1000 IU, 2000 IU and 5000 IU. Large bottle of 5000 IU comes out particularly cheap per dose.
My next opportunity for Vitamin D is next month!