Top 10 Vitamin D-Rich Foods
Sure, sunlight is the best place to get this healthy vitamin, but foods are a great natural source, too.
Sure, sunlight is the best place to get this healthy vitamin, but foods are a great natural source, too.
The Benefits of Vitamin D, the Sunlight Nutrient
Many people are worried about a vitamin D deficiency, which the Institute of Medicine says has been over-diagnosed in recent years. Unlike other nutrients, vitamin D isn't really a vitamin at all: It's a hormone, made by your body as you are exposed to sunlight, that plays an important role in maintaining bone strength. If you eat a varied diet and get some sun (about 20 minutes a day, unfiltered by sunscreen) then you are probably getting all the vitamin D you need. Even if you aren't getting enough from sunlight, you probably don't need a vitamin supplement, according to the Institute of Medicine. Try eating more of these vitamin D-rich foods instead.
Salmon
Salmon has by far the most vitamin D of any food (and wild salmon has much more than farmed salmon, which is cheaper and easier to find). Half a fillet of sockeye salmon has more than 1,400 iu of Vitamin D — more than twice as much as most people need in a day.
Tuna
A serving of tuna has a healthy dose of vitamin D — more than one-third of a daily dose. Light tuna in oil has the most. (Light tuna in water has about one-fourth of a daily dose, while white tuna has about one-tenth. Light tuna also has less mercury than white tuna, making it a safer choice.) The other fish-in-a-can, sardines, also have a lot of vitamin D — about one-fourth of a daily dose (along with a healthy dose of calcium), and pickled herring have about one-sixth of a daily dose.
Sole or Flounder
Flatfish like sole and flounder have about one-fourth a day's worth of vitamin D. (The other white fish, cod, has less than one-tenth.) Look for Pacific flounder, sole or cod at the fish market, because Atlantic stocks are depleted.
Milk
Fortified milk has about one-fifth a day's worth of vitamin D — and whole milk has more than skim.
Cereal
Like fortified milk, fortified cereal provides a more balanced meal than a vitamin D supplement. The amount of vitamin D in cereals varies widely by brand and type, though, so read the label carefully.
Pork
Three little ounces of pork can provide as much as 88 iu of vitamin D — almost one-seventh of a daily dose. The most can be found in ribs (though you might end up adding too much fat in the pursuit of nutrients), and the amount of vitamin D in pork varies greatly by cut and preparation. You'll barely get any Vitamin D from a slice of ham.
Eggs
Two large eggs have about one-tenth of a daily dose of vitamin D. Eggs from truly free-range chickens, like those many people are raising in backyards these days, are often more delicious and nutritious than the factory farmed kind; unfortunately, the free-range label on eggs isn't a regulated term, so it could be meaningless.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms can have a significant amount of vitamin D, but the amount varies widely by type. Shiitake mushrooms (pictured) have 45 iu — about one-thirteenth of a daily recommended serving. White mushrooms, on the other hand, have just 5 iu.
Beef Liver
A 3-ounce portion of beef liver has more than 42 iu of Vitamin D — about one-fourteenth of a daily dose needed for someone who doesn't get much exposure to the sun. Beef is also one of the best sources of vitamin B-12 and organ meats are one of the top sources of iron. If you're heading to the store for meat, look for grassfed beef to take advantage of additional nutrition, and more sustainable farming practices.
Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese stands out among cheeses for its relatively high vitamin D content. With 25 iu of Vitamin D, it would still take about 24 servings to get your daily dose solely from ricotta cheese (and considering the amount of fat you'd consume, that's not recommended). That said, ricotta has about five times as much vitamin D as most other cheeses.
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