10 Healthy Foods That Are High in Vitamin D

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Which vitamin is known as a sunshine vitamin? Have a guess. Yes, you are right! Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because our body creates Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.

But what about those people living in cold regions? According to Althea Zanecosky, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, sunlight is not enough for the body to make Vitamin D. That is why foods rich in Vitamin D play an essential role for our body.

In this article, we will discuss the ten foods high in Vitamin D. You must include such food to get Vitamin D, especially if you are not getting enough sunlight. So, let’s start our article with the need-to-know info on Vitamin D.

 

About Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin required by our body to regulate calcium and phosphate levels, bone development, and immunity improvement. Lack of Vitamin D can result in bone problems such as rickets, increased cancer risk, and Type-2 diabetes.

According to a 2014 study, people with Vitamin D deficiency die prematurely twice the other people.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin D on average is 600 IU (International units) for everyone up to age 70 years. Older adults above 70 years must intake 800 IU of Vitamin D.

 

10 Vitamin D Rich Foods to Add to Your Diet

Vitamin D

Although sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D, not every person can get it adequately. Nowadays, it is more difficult as people apply sunscreen that blocks 95% of UVB rays.

Besides sunlight, there are foods rich in Vitamin D that you must include in your diet to satisfy your body’s requirements. Here is the list of foods incredibly rich in Vitamin D.

 

1. Salmon:

Salmon Fish

Salmon is a fatty fish, and an excellent source of Vitamin D. A serving of salmon contains 250 IU to 1300 IU of Vitamin D.

Mostly the farmed salmon have 250 IU-526 IU of Vitamin D (lowest). Wild salmon such as ocean-grown salmon and pink boneless salmon are the richest sources of Vitamin D, containing up to 1300 IU.

Overall, to remove Vitamin D deficiency in your body, you must add salmon to your plate unless you are a vegetarian or vegan.

 

2. Mushrooms:

mushroom

Mushrooms get exposed to incidental UV rays during growth responsible for converting ergosterol found in mushrooms into Vitamin D3. As a result, mushrooms in your diet can provide you an adequate amount of Vitamin D.

Those mushrooms exposed to sunlight, such as wild mushrooms, have 450-2300 IU of Vitamin D per 100 grams.

However, commercially grown mushrooms have a very low level of Vitamin D (130-450 IU) because they are kept in the dark.

 

4. Canned Tuna:

Canned Tuna

Many people think canned tuna is not luxurious, and they are correct! It is packed, long-lasting, and inexpensive. Canned tuna is one of the best sources of Vitamin D and other essential nutrients.

3 ounces of canned fish contains 154 IU-300 IU of Vitamin D. It is also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. So, yes, canned tuna helps remove the Vitamin D deficiency.

However, excess consumption of canned tuna can cause serious health problems due to mercury content. One should limit the consumption to 4 ounces per week to avoid health problems.

 

4. Vitamin D Milk:

Vitamin D Milk

Milk naturally does not contain Vitamin D; it gets added to milk during milk processing. Vitamin D milk helps to strengthen the bones and increases the level of Vitamin D in our body.

The Amount of Vitamin D in 273 ml of milk varies with the type of milk. But the highest amount of Vitamin D is present in the following kind of milk:

  • Fortified Soy Milk: 107 IU
  • 2% milk fortified: 105 IU
  • Fortified non-fat milk: 100 IU
  • Whole milk fortified, 1% milk fortified, and fortified almond milk: 98 IU

 

5. Egg Yolks:

Egg Yolks

Egg yolks are good sources of Vitamin D but not excellent. However, they have an overall high nutritional content. In other words, your body can get many nutrients in one sitting, including Vitamin D.

Egg yolks have 18-39 IU of Vitamin D. It means if you scramble two eggs, you can get 88 IU of Vitamin D. Well, I think it is not bad since usually, people consume more than an egg in breakfast.

 

6. Cereal and Oatmeal:

Cereal and Oatmeal

Cereal and oatmeal are two of the few foods high in Vitamin D available for vegetarians and vegans.

While 100 grams of breakfast cereals is worth 332 IU of Vitamin D, a packet of oatmeal has 150 IU. And one serving of fortified cereals and oatmeal contains 54-136 IU of Vitamin D.

But make sure to check the nutritional value content of cereal and oatmeal as Vitamin D can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

7. Fortified Yoghurt:

Fortified Yoghurt

Like milk, yogurt also has low Vitamin D levels; so, it also gets fortified with Vitamin D. Depending on the manufacturer of fortified yogurt, you can get up to 120 IU of Vitamin D in a 180ml serving.

To increase the Vitamin D level, you can eat fortified yogurt with cereals and oatmeal for breakfast. It will help you get enough Vitamin D in the morning.

 

8. Oysters:

Oysters

Like other seafood, oysters are a delicious and excellent source of Vitamin D and other nutrients. It helps to boost immunity, increase energy, and reduces Vitamin D deficiency.

Oysters contain around 370 IU of Vitamin D that is sufficient to satisfy your body for a day. Also, they are less in calories that reduces the health risks associated with high calories.

 

9. Orange Juice:

Orange Juice

Are you a vegetarian, vegan, or someone who prefers drink over food to get Vitamin D? Then, orange juice is your solution!

Orange juices fortified with Vitamin D contain 130 IU of Vitamin D per glass. It is also a good choice for lactose-intolerant people.

 

10. Beef Liver:

Beef Liver

Organ meat is best if you want to boost the consumption of a specific nutrient. In Vitamin D case, beef liver is a good source.

A beef liver has up to 149 IU of Vitamin D, which you cannot get from other meat organs. However, you can substitute beef liver with cod liver oil. It contains 448 IU of Vitamin D per tbsp.

 

Final Thoughts

In sum, we suggest you take recommended consumption of Vitamin D through your diet and sunlight. Luckily, there’s a chance that you already include some food mentioned above in your diet. Well, if you don’t, then you should!

Now, we will say goodbye to you! Do you eat any food rich in Vitamin D? Please share your answers in the comment box.

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