Vitamin D Rich Foods, Fruits, and Vegetables

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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body. You need them as they keep your bones, teeth, and muscles healthy. Also, to avoid bone deformities and pain, you should consume Vitamin D.

Now, what all can you eat to gain Vitamin D? Fruits? Vegetables? Or grains? Not one, but most fruits, vegetables, and food have Vitamin D. But which one specifically can you eat? Are you eager to know?

So, read this article to know all about the specific fruits, vegetables, and food items that can infuse Vitamin D in you.

 

Why does your body require a good amount of Vitamin D?

Why does your body require a good amount of Vitamin D

You know that Vitamin D will regulate calcium and maintain the phosphorus levels in your blood. But why do you need enough calcium and phosphorus in your body?

Your bones are made of calcium phosphate, and when the other parts of your body require calcium, bones are the ones to provide them. Now, if you do not consume a lump sum amount of Vitamin D, your bones may lose calcium and weaken up.

Vitamin D promotes bone growth, and even too little Vitamin D consumption can lead to soft bones. It is also essential for the functioning of other body parts, as it helps regulate the immune system and the neuromuscular system.

 

What is the food you can consume to receive enough Vitamin D?

Do you know what the daily Vitamin D requirement for your body is? It is 1000 IU/day, 600 IU from the food you consume, and 400 IU from sunlight. The intake of Vitamin D is measured in IU (international unit) or mcg (micrograms). So, let us see the food you can eat, enriched with Vitamin D.

Salmon

Salmon Fish

Fatty fishes are rich in Vitamin D, and it is a good choice of food for non-vegetarians. Salmon is the best of all fatty fish as it can get you 10 to 18 mcg or 400 to 800 IU of Vitamin D in a day.

A 100 gram of farmed salmon will give you around 568 IU. And, to get a healthy and tasty meal, you can grill or bake the salmon fish with vegetables.

 

Mackerel

If you consume three mackerel fish a day, it will provide you 80 to 90 IU of Vitamin D. It also has Vitamin B-12, niacin, iron, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and folate.

 

Sardines

Sardines

Sardines fish will enrich your body with 177 IU if you consume one canned sardine. You can consume it raw, canned, or pickled.

 

Herring

A fresh herring fish can provide you with 216 IU per 100g in a day. Eat it raw, smoked, pickled, or canned. For a healthier option, you can grill them or bake with vegetables.

 

Tuna

Tuna

Tuna, an oily fish, is an excellent source of Vitamin D. You can drizzle it in olive oil or stir-fry to make a bread sandwich. A canned tuna will give you 268 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Trout

A raw farmed rainbow trout has 180 IU of Vitamin D. You can cook it the way you wish to eat it. Three ounces of cooked trout can fulfil 100% of your daily requirement as it comes with vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Trout also has Vitamin B12, omega-fatty acids, and niacin.

 

Cod liver oil

Cod liver oil is the oil pressed from the liver of a fish named cod, rich in Vitamin A and D. In the market; you will get it as capsules in a packet. Consume at least 5 ml of cod liver oil a day to get 450 IU of Vitamin D. It is a supplement for those who do not like fish in their meal. And if you do not like the taste of the oil, you can try mint or citrus-flavoured cod liver oil.

 

Egg

Egg

Eggs are natural sources of Vitamin D. It also has Vitamin A, B5, B12, B2, K, E, B6, phosphorus, selenium, folate, calcium and zinc. But to gain Vitamin D from eggs, you have to eat the fatty yellow part of it. The yolk of an egg has vitamins and minerals, and one yolk will give you 37 IU of Vitamin D. The farmed eggs could have more Vitamin D if the chicken who laid eggs were fed with Vitamin D enriched capsules or food. You can cook anything out of the egg, but two scrambled eggs can give you 88 IU of Vitamin D a day.

 

Oysters

Oysters

Oysters are rich in Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and copper. It is known to prevent bone loss in women at a certain age. And it is beneficial to eat a raw oyster as it will give you more Vitamin D than a cooked one. They are low in calories and high in nutrients. And a single cup of the raw oyster will provide you 794 IU of Vitamin D. But, if you do not prefer a raw one, then go for boiling it and make a salad of it.

 

Shrimp

Shrimps

Shrimp has selenium, Vitamin B12, E, B6, choline, niacin, zinc, and antioxidants. It is one of the nutritional seafood with lots of minerals, vitamins and cholesterol. You can boil or steam it to eat it as a healthy food. And from 85 grams of shrimp, you will get around 129 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Pork

Each body part of pork has a different amount of Vitamin D. But, the pork liver has the highest amount of Vitamin D. You can cook and eat both fresh and preserved pork, and 100 g of pork liver will give you 53 IU a day.

 

Beef liver

Beef liver has Vitamin D, but also a lot of cholesterol. 73-75 grams of beef liver will give you 36 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Oatmeal

Oatmeal

Oatmeal has vitamins, minerals and is rich in fibres. But it is a fortified product of Vitamin D as it doesn’t have Vitamin D naturally. And there are several more kinds of cereal available with fortified Vitamin D.

A bowl of Oatmeal can provide you 54 IU to 136 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Milk

Milk

A glass of cow milk can fulfil 30% of your body’s daily requirement of Vitamin D.  It will provide you 115 IU to 130 IU of Vitamin D. If not cow’s milk, you can consume soy milk or rice milk, which also has a good amount of Vitamin D. People go for soy and rice milk rather than cow milk because they have no lactose.

 

Milk products

The fortified yoghurt provides many health benefits with enriched Vitamin D. It also has calcium, Vitamin B6, B12, magnesium, potassium, and riboflavin.

And one slice of cheese has 34 IU of Vitamin D. It also has fat, phosphorus, protein, and other vitamins. Among all types of cheeses, ricotta cheese is known for having the most amount of Vitamin D.

 

Vegetables and fruits rich in Vitamin D

You must not know that an excess amount of Vitamin D is a risk factor as it increases the amount of calcium in your body, which may cause cardiovascular diseases or kidney stones.

If that’s the case, you may want to just stick to a limited number of sources to ensure the intake of Vitamin D is regulated.

So, what are the recommended vegetables and fruits to gain Vitamin D in the amount required by your body?

 

Mushroom

mushroom

Mushroom is a low-calorie vegetable rich in fibre and protein. Not all species of mushrooms are grown in sunlight. Therefore, only eat the mushrooms with the natural vitamin D source, the sun’s energy. What are the mushrooms enriched with Vitamin D? They are boreal mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and oysters. Or all those mushrooms that grow in the open; you can cook, bake or pan-fry it to eat and consuming 100 grams of mushrooms will provide you 130-450 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Soybean

Soybeans

You can consume soybean in the form of its byproducts. Tofu is a coagulated form of soy milk which is the source of soybean. In every 18 grams of Tofu, you will get 139 IU of Vitamin D.

 

Spinach

Spinach

Spinach has healthy vitamins and minerals, and so it is a rich source of Vitamin D. Consuming a cup of cooked spinach can fulfil the 25% need for Vitamin D in a day.

 

Orange 

Orange

You can drink a cup of orange juice to get 100 IU of Vitamin D. Oranges are also a good source of fibre and other vitamins.

 

Banana

Banana

Bananas are rich in magnesium that activates Vitamin D in your body. It will provide you with less Vitamin D. Therefore; you can intake it with Vitamin D capsules if necessary.

 

Conclusion

Vitamin D is an essential source of fat-soluble vitamins required by our body. Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle weakness and bone pains. And too much intake of Vitamin D can cause cardiovascular diseases. Therefore consume a few specific fruits, vegetables and foods to get the required Vitamin D.

In food, you can have fish, beef, shrimp, oysters, pork, egg yolk, cod liver oil, cereals, milk and milk products like cheese and yoghurt. And in fruits and vegetables, you can eat oranges, bananas, mushrooms, soybeans and spinach.

After reading this article, you might be clear about what to eat to fulfil your body’s need for Vitamin D. If you found it helpful, share your experience with us in the comment section below.

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