A Vitamin Few Are Getting Enough Of...

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The Best Sources For Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an important vitamin that few Americans are getting enough of. Vitamin D has been long known to be a critical component for bone health and regulating calcium and phosphorus levels in the body, but it’s also emerging as an important vitamin for overall health. Preliminary studies show it plays an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system and reducing inflammation that can lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It’s also being studied for its role in a variety of chronic conditions such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and even colds and flu.

The Overall Best Way to Get Vitamin D

The best source for vitamin D is sunlight. When sunlight strikes uncovered skin, it converts a vitamin D precursor present on the skin to D3, a form of vitamin D which can be further processed and used by the body. It’s often recommended that the average person get anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour of direct sunlight on exposed skin weekly to meet daily vitamin D requirements. Older persons and dark skin may require more sun exposure to get the same vitamin D levels as they don’t absorb or process it as well. Unfortunately, not everyone has time to spend in the sun, so vitamin D deficiency is quite common in the general population. Although there are supplements for vitamin D available, many people prefer to get their vitamin D through natural sources such as diet. Unfortunately, foods for vitamin D are not present in abundance, making it a challenge to get enough vitamin D levels through diet alone.

Foods for Vitamin D

What are the best foods for vitamin D? By far the best source of natural vitamin D is fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines. A single serving of salmon provides about 360 I.U. of vitamin D and even a can of sardines has around 250 I.U. Unfortunately most people don’t eat fatty fish on a daily basis and probably shouldn’t due to the high mercury content found in some fish. Most other food sources of vitamin D are fairly low with eggs having around 20 I.U. and beef liver around 15 I.U. per serving.

Fortified Foods for Vitamin D

Because most foods are low in natural vitamin D, some are now fortified including milk, margarine, and some breakfast cereals. Buying fortified milk and using vitamin D fortified margarine is one way to boost vitamin D levels through diet. Fortified milk has almost 100 I.U. per serving, while margarine has about half of that. Of course, it’s important to get a fortified margarine that’s trans fat free. Some cereals have as much as 50 I.U. of vitamin D per serving. Since recommendations for adults are at least 400 mg. per day, and 600 mg. for those over the age of seventy, it can be a challenge to get vitamin D through food sources alone. Plus, many experts recommend even higher levels than what the current requirements are.

The Bottom Line?

It can be a challenge getting adequate vitamin D exclusively through food sources. If you live in an area where it’s difficult to get adequate sun exposure, it may be best to take supplements for vitamin D. If you’re determined to avoid supplements, try to eat fatty fish two to three times a week and drink vitamin D fortified milk. Three of more glasses of vitamin D fortified milk and two fatty fish meals per week should be enough to supply adequate amounts of vitamin D for the average person, at least according to the current standards.


By Dr. Kristie