Foods That Are High in Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that supports our health, but it can be hard to get enough from your diet. Here are some healthy foods that are high in vitamin D.
By WOWMD Staff
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Since we were children, we have been taught that vitamin D is an essential nutrient for strong bones. Many of us began chugging milk in the cafeteria as soon as we heard this at school because we all wanted to grow up to be big and strong.
But strong bones aren’t the only benefit of healthy vitamin D levels. Today, we will be talking about the crucial health benefits of vitamin D and foods that are high in vitamin D that will help keep your levels adequate.
Key Takeaways
- Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that plays a role in various processes in the brain and body.
- It is recommended that adults get about 400 international units or about 20 micrograms of vitamin D per day.
- Some foods high in vitamin D include fatty fish, egg yolks, liver, mushroom, milk, and orange juice.
- You can boost your vitamin D intake easily with supplements even if you are a vegan or vegetarian.
Daily Recommended Dose of Vitamin D
Eating food high in vitamin D is a great start if you feel that you aren’t getting enough of the nutrient in your diet. But how much of these foods do you need to eat? How much vitamin D do medical and nutrition authorities suggest you get every day?
According to the Mayo Clinic, adults should get about 400 International Units (IU) worth of vitamin D each day. This works out to about 20 micrograms. To give you an idea of how much this is, a single yolk from a large egg is estimated to contain about 41 International Units of vitamin D.
So you would need to eat almost 10 egg yolks a day to get your daily recommended intake of vitamin D. Vitamin D sources are plentiful but some people may find eating these kinds of foods in such volume unrealistic.
That’s why many people turn to vitamin D supplements. Supplements allow for a high concentration of vitamin D and make it easier to get half your daily dose or even your full dose with just one serving.
And make no mistake about it, getting your daily recommended value of vitamin D is important because this nutrient is essential for brain and body function. The Mayo Clinic points out that vitamin D is essential as an antioxidant which protects the neurons in the brain from inflammation damage.
They also state that vitamin D is an important nutrient for immune system support, muscle function, and cognitive activity.
Foods That Are High In Vitamin D
Now that you know about how much vitamin D you should be getting each day and why it’s an important nutrient, let’s talk about foods you can eat right now that will boost your vitamin D levels:
Mushrooms - Mushrooms are rich in vitamin D because they are able to synthesize the nutrient from pure sunshine. These amazing fungi are great for increasing vitamin D levels and also for supporting cognitive and reproductive health.
But it should be noted that mushrooms have to have been grown in the sunlight or under UV lights in order for them to have a high vitamin D content.
So be sure to check the nutrition facts on any mushrooms you are thinking of buying from the store for their vitamin D content or details on how they were grown.
Orange Juice - Orange juice is often fortified with vitamin D to provide a breakfast drink alternative for people who are lactose intolerant and can’t drink milk.
A single cup of orange juice may provide you with up to 12% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin D.
Eggs - Eggs are a great source of essential vitamins and minerals. Egg whites are a particularly good source of protein as well. However, if you are trying to increase your vitamin D intake, you will want to pay close attention to the yolks.
A single egg yolk could contain up to 5% of your daily recommended value of vitamin D.
Fish - Another of the foods that are high in vitamin D are fish. You will mostly want to stick with fatty fish like herring, sardines, cod, tuna and salmon as these have the highest concentration of vitamin D and are also great sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Yogurt - An 8 ounce serving of plain, non-fat or low fat yogurt will contain about 116 International Units of vitamin D. Apart from the vitamin D content, yogurt is a great source of probiotics that can also benefit your digestive functions.
Yogurt is a great snack alternative to unhealthy foods like chips and crackers as well because it offers much more nutritional value.
Vegan and Vegetarian Options
You may be perusing the above list and not seeing a lot of options if you are a vegan or vegetarian. However, there are lots of viable vegan foods high in vitamin D.
For instance, you can replace regular milk with soy milk or almond milk, which are also significant sources of vitamin D. Mushrooms are also great alternatives for vegans and vegetarians, as well as fortified cereals and oatmeals.
Vitamin D foods for vegans can also include nuts like cashews and hazelnuts and vegetables such as avocados and bananas.
How Can I Increase My Daily Vitamin D Intake?
You may be looking at the above list and feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the foods you may have to buy and how much of them you have to eat. But it’s best to start slow. Stock your fridge and pantry with some of your favorite foods that are high in vitamin D and slowly start eating a bit more of them every day.
Vitamin D supplements can also make it much easier to get your daily recommended intake of vitamin D. They can also make it easier to know about how much vitamin D you are getting on a given day.
READ MORE - What Helps Vitamin D Absorption?
Conclusion
It’s great to know the best vitamin D sources and how much vitamin D you should be getting each day. But in the end, it’s up to you to make dietary changes for the better. Vitamin D offers many mental and physical health benefits; but they are all for naught if you aren’t getting enough of it.
So make sure you incorporate more foods high in vitamin D into your diet and consider trying a vitamin D supplement to make the task easier. It’s also a good idea to speak with your healthcare practitioner if you fear you may be vitamin D deficient or simply aren’t getting enough of the nutrient in your diet.
References
WOWMD follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, qualified experts, and information from top institutions.
- Vitamin D: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-d/art-20363792
- The Relationship between Mushroom Intake and Cognitive Performance: An Epidemiological Study in the European Investigation of Cancer—Norfolk Cohort (EPIC-Norfolk): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10857520/
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17290-omega-3-fatty-acids
- Beneficial Effects of Yoghurts and Probiotic Fermented Milks and Their Functional Food Potential: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9455928/