Oranges may be the closest you'll get to a fruit containing vitamin D.
The best food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Other sources include egg yolks, red meat, and liver. Vitamin D is added to some foods too, including breakfast cereals, plant milks and fat spreads.
Research has found that an average serving of 2 eggs contains 8.2mcg of vitamin D, a substantial portion of the recommended dietary intake of vitamin D [2], making them a great addition to the diet to support the intake of adequate levels of this vital vitamin.
Many fruits and vegetables contain a special type of vitamin D known as ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. The highest value of vitamin D2 is found in the trendy, yet incredibly tasty avocado.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases: In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
The humble and yummy bananas are a great source of magnesium, which plays an important role in activating vitamin D in the body.
When you stumble upon fruits containing vitamin D, banana is another best option. This is because they are a great source of magnesium, which activates vitamin D in the body. Also, it is suggested that an actual amount of magnesium is necessary to get the optimal benefits of vitamin D.
Orange juice comes first in the list of drinks rich in Vitamin D along with an array of other nutrients.
Because few foods naturally contain vitamin D, many foods are fortified with it. Vitamin D can also be obtained from sun exposure. Although carrots have no vitamin D, they contain other important nutrients that can benefit your health.
Mushrooms are the number one vegetable source for vitamin D. In fact, discounting fortified plant foods (like soy milk), mushrooms are really the only way to get your vitamin D from plants.
Choosing the Best Vitamin D Supplement for Your Health
If you choose to go the supplement route, Clifford recommends taking around 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) per day. “Vitamin D3 is the form that is already stored in the body, so some studies have found it to be more effective,” Clifford says.
It can take anywhere from 1-6 months to raise vitamin D levels with supplements. How much your levels increase and how long it takes will depend on the dose and your baseline vitamin D levels.
To get an optimal vitamin D supplement from the sun at a minimal risk of getting cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the best time of sun exposure is noon.
The best sources are the flesh of fatty fish and fish liver oils. Smaller amounts are found in egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver. Certain mushrooms contain some vitamin D2; in addition some commercially sold mushrooms contain higher amounts of D2 due to intentionally being exposed to high amounts of ultraviolet light.
The best way to prevent vitamin D deficiency is to ensure you're getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sun exposure. But be careful about being in the sun for too long without sunscreen. Excessive sun exposure puts you at an increased risk for skin cancer.
Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.
They have extremely high nutritional value. Blueberries have vitamin D, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. If you're looking for a health boost when you're on the go, a handful is the perfect snack.
“Fish and seafood are major animal sources of vitamin D. The vitamin D present in them is better absorbed by the body, as compared to plant-based sources,” she suggests.
Fortified Milk Offers a Double Whammy: Vitamin D and Calcium
In addition to being an excellent source of calcium, 8 fluid ounces (fl oz) of fortified whole milk has 95.6 IU of vitamin D, per the USDA. According to the NIH, that added vitamin D improves calcium absorption.