Health professionals have known for decades about the role of vitamin D in building strong bones, yet an explosion of medical research in the last decade has shed light on the role of this nutrient in many other body systems and health conditions. Researchers now know that vitamin D receptors are found throughout the body. This means vitamin D is involved in a wide range of body functions.

Along with this, research has shown that correcting low levels of vitamin D can help in managing a number of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. And higher vitamin D levels have been linked to a lower risk for many types of cancer.

So it’s worth boning up on this crucial vitamin. Below are answers to common questions and some guidelines to help you decide whether you need to supplement your intake in order to optimize your levels.

As we continue to dip the challa into the honey during the Sukkos and Simchas Torah season, here are some other honey-infused recipes to enjoy during this festive time of year. If you read part one last month, you’ll recall that, by using honey, not only are you enjoying a sweet, rich taste; are also benefiting from antioxidants, minerals, and other health-enhancing compounds. Just remember to not overdo it!

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.”  (Proverbs 24:13)

The phrase “milk and honey” appears many times in Tanach to describe the fertility and prosperity of the Promised Land, says health writer Cal Orey, author of The Healing Powers of Honey. While rabbis and historians may debate whether the honey was actually bee honey or produced from dates or fruits, the concept of a land flowing with milk and honey conjures up images of health, happiness, and well-being. Rabbi and food historian Gil Marks points out that honey, which comes from nature and does not spoil, symbolizes immortality and truth in many cultures. As far back as 4,000 years ago, ancient Greeks and Egyptians believed that eating honey increased physical energy and enhance mental acuity. Medicinal uses of honey are also noted in the ancient texts of traditional Chinese medicine and in Ayurvedic medicine, a healing system that originated in India. Even in modern medicine, honey is recognized for its antibacterial and wound-healing properties, and as an aid in treating coughs.

Coconut fruit and oil have a long history as a dietary staple in native cultures in Polynesia, Hawaii, Malaysia, and the Philippines. And you may be surprised to hear that coconut oil also enjoyed great popularity in the U.S. throughout much of the 20th century, when it was widely used in the baking industry. According to the authors of The Coconut Oil Diet, “Coconut oil’s long shelf life and low melting point made it easy to use and keep. And if that had not been enough to hold coconut oil in good graces, it also tastes delicious and smells divine.” All this was until coconut was dubbed a villain by the medical establishment and the fat-phobic popular media.

“Water is the most precious substance on earth, extraordinary for its remarkable aspects and unique properties. All living things require water. The Hebrew word for life, chaim, is composed of two words, chai, living, and yam, sea. Life is living water, and water is the matrix for spiritual and biological processes.” From Living Waters, by Y. Pinchas

Water has a central role in Jewish tradition; the Sages have compared water to Torah. Water enables and promotes physical growth, and all living things are made predominantly of water. Torah enables and promotes spiritual growth, and our spirit is housed in our physical body. Allegorically and practically, water and Torah are bound together.

What I like most about strawberries – aside from their terrific taste, high nutrient content, and culinary versatility – is their year-round availability. You can always find strawberries, either fresh in the produce section or frozen, whole or sliced, in the frozen foods aisle.

An interesting trend reported on strawberrynutritionnews.com is that the fresh fruit is now the top snack consumed by boys and girls ages two through 12. A study by a New York-based marketing organization called the NDP Group found that “cookies are crumbling out of favor as the top snack for children” and that fresh strawberries are among the most kid-friendly fruits.