The Sunshine Nutrient: A Laguna Lily Guide to Vitamin D, Mood & Whole-Body Radiance
A Personal Note: My Experience With Seasonal Depression
Every year, as the daylight thins and the evenings arrive too early, I feel the shift in my body before my mind even realizes what’s happening.
There’s a heaviness that sneaks in. A sense of “why do I feel this way?” A fog I used to think I should just push through or will my way out of.
But our bodies aren’t machines — they’re rhythms.
They respond to light, warmth, nourishment, and the changing seasons.
For years I didn’t understand why winter hit me so deeply, until I learned how sunlight, serotonin, sleep, and Vitamin D all dance together. And once I supported myself with intentional sunlight, nutrient-dense foods, and a high-quality D3 + K2 supplement, the winter heaviness softened. My mood felt steadier. My inner light returned.
Here's a link to my full Seasonal Depression story so you can read more, but for now, let’s explore the nutrient at the core of this seasonal shift.
What Vitamin D Actually Is (and Why It Matters)
Vitamin D behaves like a hormone. It influences:
Mood
Immunity
Sleep
Hormones
Bone Health
Muscle Strength
Energy Production
Inflammation
It is part of the body's conversation with the sun - a biological memory of light.
When your vitamin D drops, your mood, energy, and overall vitality can drop with it. Not because something is wrong with you, but because your body is asking for support.
How Vitamin D Supports Your Body
✨ Emotional Balance & Mood
Vitamin D plays a direct role in serotonin and melatonin production — the chemistry behind happiness, calm, and rest.
Low levels often feel like:
Seasonal sadness
Irritability
Low motivation
Brain fog
Heavy emotional fatigue
This is why shorter days impact many people so strongly.
✨ Sleep & Circadian Rhythm
Vitamin D helps regulate your internal clock. When it's low, sleep becomes lighter or more disrupted, and mornings feel harder.
✨ Immune Health
Vitamin D helps regulate your immune system stay responsive, steady, and balanced - not overactive and not sluggish.
✨ Bone, Muscle & Structural Strength
Vitamin D increases how much calcium your body absorbs - a foundational piece of long-term bone density, strong teeth, and muscular function.
✨ Energy, Longevity & Vitality
Vitamin D supports mitochondrial function (the energy centers in your cells) and influences long-term health and inflammation levels.
Where Vitamin D Comes From
☀️ Sunlight - Your Body's Most Natural Source
Your skin produces vitamin D when UVB rays meet your skin.
The best window:
Midday (11 AM-2pm)
10-20 minutes
Bare skin exposure
No sunscreen for this short window
This creates the most natural, bioavailable from the vitamin D your body can use.
🥗 Whole Food Sources
Food sources add supportive nourishment, even if they can't always correct a deficiency on their own.
Animal-Based Sources
Fatty Fish: Salmon, sardines, mackerel
Pasture-raised egg yolks
Grass-fed butter
Plant-Based Sources
Sun-exposed mushrooms (portobello, shiitake, maitake, or UV treated mushrooms)
Fortified plant milks (clean, additive-free brands)
Fortified plant-based foods such as tofu, tempeh, and select plant based yogurts
Quality Matters:
Not all vitamin D foods are created equal. Wild-caught fish, small-farm eggs, sun-exposed mushrooms and clean fortified milks offer far more nourishment than factory-farmed or highly processed options.
I created a short guide on how to choose the best sources - you can read it here.
💊 Supplements
Most people - especially those who live in cooler climates, work indoors, or struggle with seasonal depression - benefit from a steady supplement during the darker months.
But...the form matters.
Types of Vitamin D: D2 vs. D3
🌿 Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)
Found in mushroom and some fortified foods
Plant-based
Less effective
Breaks down more quickly
☀️ Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
The form your skin makes from sunlight
More efficient at raising levels
Stays active longer
The gold standard for supplementation
If you supplement, choose D3.
Why Vitamin D Needs Vitamin K2
This is the part most people never learn:
Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium. But it does not control where that calcium goes.
That's K2's job.
Together, they form a partnership:
Vitamin D3 increases calcium absorption
Vitamin K2 (MK-7) directs calcium into bones + teeth
K2 prevents calcium from depositing in arteries or soft tissues
It has nothing to do with vitamin D absorption - it's about using it safely.
D3 brings calcium in. K2 puts it where it belongs.
This is why high-quality supplements pair them.
How Vitamin D Is Absorbed (And Why Fat Matters)
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, meaning it needs fat to absorb properly.
For the best absorption:
Take D3/K2 with a meal
Include healthy fats like avocado, nuts, olive oil, or coconut yogurt
Choose supplement suspended in healthy oils (MCT, olive, avocado)
Avoid supplements made with seed oils (soybean, canola)
Your gut health, bile flow, and overall Nutrition Rhythm all influence absorption too.
What to Look for in a High-Quality Vitamin D Supplement
Choose supplements with:
✔ Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) - The most bioavailable form.
✔ Vitamin K2 (MK-7) - The optimal form for calcium placement and bone health.
✔ Oil-Based Delivery - MCT, olive, or avocado oil — not seed oils.
✔ Clean Ingredients - Free from dyes, preservatives, fillers, synthetic binders, and unnecessary additives.
✔ Third-Party Testing - NSF, USP, or ConsumerLab ensure purity and accuracy.
✔ A reasonable daily potency - Most people do well with 1,000–5,000 IU, depending on lab work and sun exposure.
Bringing It All Together
Vitamin D is one of the simplest and most profound ways to support your mood, hormones, sleep, bones, and overall radiance — especially in the winter months.
To support your natural rhythms:
Soak in a few minutes of gentle midday sun
Choose clean, high-quality animal and plant-based food sources
Buy pasture-raised eggs and wild-caught fish when possible
Use a D3 + K2 supplement for steady support
Take it with healthy fats
Stay light-filled, nourished, and consistent
Your body isn’t failing you — it’s communicating.
When you honor its need for sunlight, nourishment, and warmth, it responds beautifully.
