Food Sources of Vitamin D

One of the most widely available sources of vitamin D is sunlight. When sunrays strike the skin, production of vitamin D starts inside the body. Apart from sun exposure, other ways to obtain vitamin D is but obvious - food. Many argue that eating food sources of vitamin D is not necessary because sunlight is easily available and just 15 -20 minutes of daily sun exposure is enough to prevent vitamin D deficiency. However, today's hectic lifestyle that demand erratic work timings give us little time for sunlight exposure. No wonder, vitamin D deficiency is common in the urban population. Inadequate vitamin D levels can make the bones brittle and increase the risk of osteoporosis. All these health issues can be avoided by including food sources of vitamin D in the diet. Some of the foods with vitamin D are discussed below:

Good Food Sources of Vitamin D

As aforementioned, choices for vitamin D foods to eat are not plenty. The vegetables and fruits that are eaten in everyday meals do not contain any vitamin D. So, then which are the foods containing vitamin D. Let's find out:

Sea Food
Talking about food sources of vitamin D and one simply cannot forget to mention about fish. Unfortunately, only a few species of fish are found to contain considerable amount of vitamin D. Fish like tuna, mackerel, salmon and sardines are high in vitamin D. All these are fatty fish and categorized as foods rich in vitamin D. When it comes to highest vitamin D levels in fish, wild salmon is a sure shot winner. Just 3.5 oz serving of wild salmon contains as much as 988IU of vitamin D, which is remarkably high. So, whether you include small, medium or large salmon in your diet, one is sure to get adequate vitamin D to fulfill daily body needs.

Fortified Milk
Regular milk be it cow's milk or soy milk does not contain any vitamin D. In other words, vitamin D is not a naturally occurring nutrient in regular milk. Hence, vitamin D is explicitly added, hence the name beverages fortified with vitamin D. Thus commercially sold cow's milk, soy milk and rice milk available in cans are found to contain vitamin D. Do not forget to read the printed label on the canned product, before you push the milk down your throat.

Cod Liver Oil
Cod liver oil has also been added in the list of food sources of vitamin D. Many don't know how this cod liver oil is obtained. The oil is extracted from the liver of codfish. Besides being a rich source of vitamin D, it is also found to be high in other health enhancing nutrients like vitamin A and omega 3 essential fatty acids.

Fortified Cereals
Want to elevate your vitamin D intake? How about eating breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin D. A breakfast of Kellogg's cornflakes is one of the best ways of bringing vitamin D to your diet.

Fortified Juice
Another way of getting vitamin D into the diet is to drink juices added with vitamin D. It is observed that packed orange juice sold under various brands is often fortified with vitamin D. So, those wanting to increase their blood vitamin D levels should drink orange juice fortified with vitamin D on a regular basis.

Beef Liver
Although, vitamin D is present in beef liver, it is considered to be a poor source as its vitamin D content is far less than that of fish. So, one can say that vitamin D is found in minimal amounts in beef liver.

Egg Yolk
Egg yolk also comes in the list of natural food sources of vitamin D. However, having egg yolk to avoid vitamin D deficiency is definitely not a good option for those suffering from high cholesterol. This is because, it is high in cholesterol content but children and even adults with no cholesterol problems should not mind eating egg yolk. This yellow portion derived from a moderately large egg contains around 27IU of vitamin D.

Although, raw fish is one of the best food sources of vitamin D, cooking it properly before consuming it is recommended to prevent any sort of parasitic infection. Apart from cooking over high temperature, make sure to avoid deep frying, instead go for baked or grilled fish for healthy cooking.