How to get enough Vitamin D in your diet

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin required by the human body. It plays a vital role in promoting the absorption of calcium and the growth of bones and cells. It is important that a person has a sufficient level of Vitamin D intake in food or supplements. Foods such as fatty fish, beef, cheese and egg yolks are all naturally rich in Vitamin D. Additionally, you can look for fortified foods that are rich in Vitamin D. Fortification is the process in which nutrients are added to a food to increase its nutritional value. Staple foods such as bread are often fortified to include more vitamins and added nutritional benefits. Orange juice, soy milk and cereals are all good examples of foods fortified with vitamin D.

It is important you receive enough Vitamin D each day because insufficient Vitamin D levels can lead to a deficiency. The typical symptoms of a Vitamin D deficiency is bone pain and weakness, but severe deficiencies may cause bone deformations. Typical guidelines dictate that a person under the age of 70 should consume 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day, and those above this age should consume 800 IU of Vitamin D [1]. An excellent option for getting Vitamin D from food is fish, as six ounces of cooked salmon contains more than 600 IU of vitamin D.

Sources:

[1] Top foods for Calcium and Vitamin D. WebMd. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/calcium-vitamin-d-foods