Vitamin D is one of the essential vitamins that your body needs to have stronger bones as it promotes calcium absorption and it regulates your immune system. Also, it lowers your risk of cancer too [1]. This chart below shows the average of how much vitamin D you need according to your age.
The most efficient way of getting vitamin D is through your skin so the Sun is one of your main suppliers of vitamin D. But getting the right amount of Sun and the sunbathing timing is something to be careful of. Getting some Sun in the afternoon is not exactly good for you too since its UV rays will be the strongest then.
So let’s say you are not a big fan of the Sun or wherever you’re living at has very little Sun, what else is there that can provide the vitamin D that your body needs? Though there are not many foods that has high levels of vitamin D, more companies are fortifying mass-consumed food items such as orange juice, cereal and milk with vitamin D to help us get some intake in [2]. But too much processed food is not so good either so remember to consume them wisely.
Here are 8 foods that contains some vitamin D to help you hit your body’s daily quota:
1. Fatty Fish
Salmon, mackerel, sardine and even canned tuna has some vitamin D in them. If you eat about 85g serving of salmon, it could provide about 425 IU but salmon is a little pricey and how its cooked could affect the amount of vitamin D it has [3]. While a 113g serving of canned light tuna has about 140 IU which is less than salmon, it’s a budget-friendly alternative and has a longer shelf-life [4]. Just pick the can of tuna soaked in water for the healthiest option.
2. Milk
Depending on the producing animal’s diet and the sun exposure it gets, its milk could contain a little bit of vitamin D [5]. If it says Fortified with vitamin D on the carton then it should contain more vitamin D than the ones which are not fortified so having a glass of milk might provide you at least 100 IU of vitamin D [6].
3. Supplements
You could find vitamin D supplements in the market these days which could be helpful if you’re really unable to get your vitamin fix from the Sun and other natural sources especially if you’re suffering from skin cancer. Researchers recommend taking the vitamin D3 over the vitamin D2 because D3 is the type of vitamin D that your body produces from the Sun exposure [7]. But you could be at risk of overdosing on vitamin D too so do consult with your doctor before taking it. Don’t forget, you get more health benefits from the natural sources like the other foods we have here in the list.
4. Egg yolks
Looks like having some sunny side up is a good idea after all. Most of the vitamin is in the egg yolk which has about 25 IU per egg so don’t leave out the yolk [8]. Egg yolks are actually good for you and does not cause high cholesterol as most of you assume.
5. Beef Liver
Not many people are fans of animal organs but if you are then you can try some beef liver once in a while. A 99g serving of cooked beef liver could provide about 50 IU of vitamin D and other nutrients but since it’s high in cholesterol, it’s best to have it sparingly [9].
6. Shiitake Mushroom
Surprisingly, half a cup of shiitake mushrooms contain about 20 IU of vitamin D which is one of the highest among other varieties [10]. Not all mushrooms have vitamin D since most mushrooms are grown in dark. However if the mushrooms are grown using UV light then it might produce a bit of vitamin D [11].
7. Ricotta Cheese
It has 5 times the amount of vitamin D (about 25 IU), the highest among the other cheeses so adding some ricotta into your dishes could be beneficial after all [12]. Just don’t binge on ricotta cheese to get your daily quota because it still contains cholesterol after all.
_____