Increase Your Vitamin D With These Foods
By Sara Butler
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, especially in the winter. Eating enough foods rich in Vitamin D is essential to reap all the benefits of this health-boosting vitamin, but many people aren't sure where to turn to get more Vitamin D in their diet.
Here's what you need to know about Vitamin D and a few of the foods that make it easy to get your recommended daily allowance of this vital vitamin!
The Role of Vitamin D
When it comes to your health, Vitamin D plays a big role. It helps to keep your bones strong and healthy and can impact mood, too. It also works to:
- Support a healthy immune system
- Reduce inflammation
- Reduced certain cancer risks
- Alleviate symptoms of depression
In other words, Vitamin D is quite the multi-tasker.
Your body is capable of making its own Vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. That makes getting enough in warmer months of the year quite easy, but during winter when the days are shorter and the weather worse, it can be a real challenge. That's why you need to supplement what your body can make on its own with foods in your diet.
Foods Rich in Vitamin D
There are quite a few foods that are healthy and can pack quite a Vitamin D punch. Next time you go food shopping, then you should consider adding these foods to your list to ensure you're getting enough Vitamin D.
- Mushrooms - These fungi, when exposed to UV light during growing, can provide you with over 100 percent of your daily Vitamin D needs in just one cup. They're a great source of Vitamin D and other nutrients for those who adhere to plant-based diets.
- Salmon - Salmon, particularly sockeye salmon, has a lot of Vitamin D as well as omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart. One three-ounce filet can provide you with 70 percent of your daily Vitamin D needs. Farmed Atlantic salmon will provide you with about 55 percent of your daily needs.
- Fortified milk - A few foods are fortified with Vitamin D to help with absorption - and milk is one of those foods. The fat in milk is key to helping your body absorb Vitamin D. One cup of milk provides about 15 percent of your daily Vitamin D needs.
- Canned white tuna - Three ounces of canned white tuna provides about nine percent of your daily Vitamin D.
Getting enough Vitamin D isn't difficult!
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