A few years ago, I became concerned about whether or not my family was getting enough vitamins. We eat a very healthy and well-balanced diet, so our family doctor said we shouldn't be overly concerned. We eat lots of green leafy veggies, lots of colourful veggies, and lots of fruits. We get our daily intake of calcium and we get vitamin D as well. This said, I was still curious about the vitamin D.

The health benefits of vitamin D have been mentioned a lot in the news in the past few years. Vitamin D also happens to be one of the vitamins that Canadians are most deficient in.
"Research is proving that Vitamin D has many benefits on multiple organs within the body. Too little vitamin D can lower the immune system and increase the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes and more." (from the Ddrop website)

My aunt, a dietitian has spoken to me on many accounts about making sure we're getting enough vitamin D. Traditionally, vitamin D has been known to help the body use calcium and phosphorus to build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. Now, research is showing that vitamin D does much more for the human body. Not only does vitamin D promote the healthy growth of bones, but it also works with the following:

The Immune System:
Vitamin D works on the immune system, has anti-tumour activity, and has a role in modulation of the immune system
Vitamin D is changed into a hormonally active form within the body. There are vitamin D hormone receptors on immune cells.
As a result, Vitamin D may provide therapeutic benefits in the following types of diseases:

• inflammatory (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis)
• autoimmune (such as multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, and lupus)
• organ transplant rejection
• cancers (breast, colon, prostate, leukemia, squamous and basal cell carcinomas)
• dermatologic conditions (psoriasis, actinic keratosis)
• infection (colds, influenza)⁴

The Cardiovascular System:
The mechanism and role of vitamin D in cardiovascular disease prevention is actively studied
Research indicates that vitamin D may have beneficial impact on the following diseases:

• High Blood Pressure
• Coronary Disease
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Cardiovascular events
• Stroke
• Peripheral Artery Disease
• Heart Attacks

and

The Brain:
Tissues in the brain have vitamin D receptors and respond to the active form of vitamin D. Research suggests that vitamin D is essential for healthy brain development for the fetus and early life⁵. Research also indicates a link with vitamin D in the following diseases:

• Autism
• Schizophrenia
• Parkinson's Disease⁶
• Multiple Sclerosis⁷
• Depression⁸

* Information about vitamin D from Ddrops website and the Health Canada website.

Hubby has always taken vitamin D supplements in the pill form. I'm not the greatest when it comes to taking pills. I just don't like them. You can imagine how happy I was to discover Ddrops! Ddrops is described as "the sunshine vitamin in just one drop"!

Ddrops sent me Adult Ddrops and BabyDdrops to try for myself and for Little One.

Baby Ddrops is vitamin D in the liquid form and is designed especially for babies. What I love about the BabyDdrops is that it is colourless, odourless, and tasteless. Just one little drop equals the daily recommended amount of vitamin D and there are no other chemicals or additives. My little one actually LIKES getting her Ddrops every morning!

Of course, I had to try it myself to make sure I was giving the very best to my toddler. The Adult Ddrops, like the Baby Ddrops are odourless, tasteless, and colourless. It couldn't be any easier to get the vitamin D you need! Just one drop, people!

Of course, I always try to get all the vitamins and minerals I need through our food (and vitamin D from the sun), but when  you can't always get everything you need from what you eat (and from the sun), this is the perfect way to do it! Let's face it. Not all of us are able to get all the vitamins we need from our food and not all of us get enough vitamin D from the sun!

Would I recommend Ddrops to friends, family, and blog readers? Definitely!
You can buy Ddrops at retailers nationwide or online. I noticed that Walmart carries Ddrops too. Check out the Ddrops website. While you're at it, why not follow them on Facebook and on Twitter as well?

Ddrops is giving FIVE of my readers an adorable Dora growth chart! If you've got a little Dora fan or two in your household, I'm sure they would love one of these!  My twin nieces (20 months old) and my 3 year old nephew adore Dora the Explorer! This is something I know they're going to love!

WIN IT!
How can  you get your hands on one of these cute Dora growth charts? Simple! Just head over to the BabyDdrops Facebook Page and "like" them (2 entries). Follow them on Twitter too @babyddrops (2 entries). Make sure you leave a comment on my blog for each entry.

For additional entries:
- Follow Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island REVIEWS! on Google Friend Connect. (1 entry)
- Follow Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island REVIEWS! on Facebook. (2 entries)
- Follow us on Twitter @chancesmommy (2 entries)
- Grab my button and leave me the link where you posted it. (1 entry)

Good luck, everyone!
Contest ends at midnight (EST) on Friday, November 5th, 2010.


I received Adult Ddrops and Baby Ddrops from the Ddrops company for reviewing purposes. The thoughts and opinions on this blog are my own.