Vitamin D Foods That You Must Add to Your Diet

Vitamin D foods play an important role in nutrition. Just like macronutrients, you should add vitamin D foods to your diet too.

Speaking of vitamin D rich foods, it’s important to understand what vitamin D is and why it’s important for health.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D fruits and vegetables (Photo via Unsplash/Engin Akyurt)

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in the regulation of phosphorus and calcium in our bodies. It's extremely important for teeth and for healthy bones.

Usually, it's possible for the body to attract and retain vitamin D from sunlight on exposed skin, but you can consume more of the vitamin from adding vitamin D foods to your diet.

List of vitamin D foods

The following is a list of vitamin D rich foods you should consider adding to your diet:

Fatty fish
Egg yolks
Beef liver
Fortified foods

Meanwhile, there are some vitamin D fruits and vegetables you should consider for your diet too.

Even though vitamin D isn’t commonly available in fruits and vegetables, here are some that can provide the body with the vitamin. Moreover, the following are some of the most common recommendations for vitamin D foods for vegetarians.

Mushrooms
Fortified plant-based milk
Fortified orange juice

Top ten vitamin D foods

Vitamin D foods (Photo via Unsplash/Mateusz Feliksik)

It can become confusing to choose from a lot of options. It’s easier to have a top ten list and narrow down your options. Keeping that in mind, the following are the top ten vitamin D foods:

#1 Cod liver oil

One tbsp or 15ml of cod liver oil can provide the body with over 200% of the recommended vitamin D intake.

#2 Shiitake mushroom

When exposed to sunlight, shiitake mushrooms can produce vitamin D.

#3 Fatty fish

Fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon, and tuna are excellent sources of vitamin D.

#4 Egg yolk

A large egg yolk can provide the body with almost upto 5% of daily vitamin D intake.

#5 Fortified items

Certain items such as milk, orange juice, and cereals are sometimes fortified with vitamin D. The label on the packaging can reveal how much vitamin D it contains.

#6 Cheese

Cheeses such as cheddar cheese are capable of producing a small amount of vitamin D.

#7 Beef liver

Beef liver is a good source of vitamin D but also has a high content of vitamin A. Hence, it’s best to consume it in moderation.

#8 Tofu

Certain brands of tofu have vitamin D fortified.

#9 Pork

Pork is another good source of vitamin D, but it has a high fat content. Therefore, it should be consumed in moderation.

#10 Fortified plant-based milk

Plant-based milks, such as almonds, soy, and oat milk, can also be fortified with vitamin D.

Benefits of vitamin D

Egg yolks (Photo via Unsplash/Onder Ortel)

Now that you know the best vitamin D sources, you should also know about the vitamin's benefits. Here are the benefits you can attain from adding vitamin D foods to your diet:

Helps with bone health
Helps with boosting immunity system
Assists with reducing inflammation
Helps with improving mood
Helps with supporting cardiovascular health
Assists with reducing risk of certain cancers

Although the aforementioned ones are considered to be some of the most common benefits of vitamin D, studies are being conducted to understand the complete potential and benefits of the vitamin. That could help overcome the challenges of vitamin D deficiency.

It’s important that you understand that vitamin D rich foods aren’t enough to provide your body with enough of the vitamin, unless you consume these food items in excess.

On the off chance that you have a vitamin D deficiency even after consuming vitamin D foods, you may have to use a supplement or consider exposing yourself to more sunlight. Nevertheless, you should consult a medical professional before consuming any vitamin D supplements.