Vitamin-D Rich Foods: Boost Your Health Naturally

Do you know that Vitamin D is important to our body's overall wellness?

While sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, it can still be found in a few food items and dietary products. Vitamin D-rich food has several health benefits, such as strengthening your immune system. However, excess vitamin D consumption through sunlight or food items can lead to severe diseases, including skin cancer. Join us to learn about vitamin D-rich food, its benefits, and the recommended intake.

Before learning about vitamin D-rich food, let’s understand vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, also known as calciferol. It is an essential vitamin for the human body. The right amount of Vitamin D can help promote bone health, stimulate the immune system, and aid calcium absorption. While sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, adding certain foods to your diet can help maintain health.

Read more: https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/health/everything-you-need-to-know-about-vitamin-d/

8 Key Vitamin D Rich Food 

Vitamin D is present in almost all food items, including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Here are eight foods that are rich in vitamin D: 

Mushroom 

Naturally, mushrooms don’t offer a high amount of vitamin D. But, just like humans, they can synthesize vitamin D through UV rays. 

Not all mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D; only wild mushrooms or mushrooms treated with UV rays are. These mushrooms produce vitamin D2, which can help raise blood levels. 

Morels are one such type of mushroom that is an excellent source of vitamin D. One cup of morels contains 136 IU of vitamin D, which is 17% of the DV. 

Along with this, there are other varieties of mushrooms too, including white button, cremini, portobello, oyster, maitake, and shiitake. You can try them as a salad, sautee in an omelet, or cook with pasta. 

Bananas

Bananas are not naturally rich in vitamin D, but they contain a good amount of magnesium, stimulating the body’s vitamin D production. 

Magnesium is important in modulating parathyroid hormone levels and maintaining bone homeostasis. Bananas are also rich in potassium and vitamins B6 and C. 

Add one or two bananas daily to your diet as a source of vitamin D. Try to eat one banana daily in the morning. 

If you don’t like raw bananas, cook them in bread, pancakes, pudding, banana chips, or muffins.

Figs (Anjeer)

Figs are rich in vitamin D and various nutrients, including magnesium, fiber, potassium, and calcium, which are beneficial for bones. 

Figs are generally recommended to people who have less exposure to sunlight. If you are one of those, add figs to your diet. 

Two to three figs daily are sufficient. Don’t forget to soak them overnight. 

The best time to eat figs is on an empty stomach in the morning. It is also said that figs can help boost digestion and control blood sugar and energy levels.

Sweet Potato 

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins, nutrients, and fibers, including vitamin A, vitamin D, potassium, copper, manganese, and dietary fibers. 

Sweet potatoes are a healthy version of white potatoes. It helps in boosting lower glycemic index.

Like white potatoes, sweet potatoes can be used to make several healthy and tasty food items, such as potato wedges, baked sweet potatoes, spiced sweet potato hummus, sweet potato burgers, and more. 

Canned Tune 

Canned tuna is cheaper than fresh fish and also rich in flavor. A USDA report states that 3 oz of canned tuna in water contains 68 IU of vitamin D. 

Light canned tuna has 269 IU of vitamin D in a 3.5-ounce serving (100 grams), which is 34% of the DV. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recommends taking this amount per week. 

Every fish contains different amounts of mercury, with bigger fish containing more mercury than smaller fish. The amount of mercury in canned tuna depends on the type of tuna.

If you are concerned about the intake of mercury, consult your doctor. 

You can make food items with canned tuna pasta salad, tuna mayo rice, crunchy tuna wraps, Nicoise salad, tuna casserole, and more. 

Cereals and Oatmeal 

Ready-to-eat cereals are rich in nutrients and high fibers. As per NIH, Cereals can give you 40 IU of vitamin D per serving. The amount can vary. It can go from 58.5 IU to 60.2, depending on the type of meal you choose. 

It’s the same with oatmeal. Oatmeal is rich in vitamins, minerals, and calcium, fulfilling the demand for vitamin D in the human body. 

The best time to have cereals and oatmeal is at breakfast. You can begin your day with a healthy, filling, and tasty dose of cereals or oatmeal. Several brands in the market offer cereals and oatmeals, and you can take them with yogurt, protein powder, nuts, seeds, berries, fried eggs, and more.

Eggs 

Eggs are an effective way to get vitamin D. They are one of the highest food sources of vitamin D and protein. Egg whites contain protein, and the yolk contains minerals, fats, and vitamins. 

The egg yolk contains 40 IU of vitamin D or 5% DV. For people who diet or exercise, eggs can be a great source of protein and vitamins. 

Along with vitamin D, yolks contain dietary fats, which help the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. You can make an omelet, scrambled eggs, egg curry, fried rice, and more with eggs. 

Fatty Fish

Salmon is a fatty fish rich in vitamin D. 100 grams of farmed salmon provides over 500 IU of vitamin D, 66% of the recommended intake. Wild-caught salmon provides over 1000 IU of vitamin D.

Swordfish is another fatty fish. Its three cooked ounces provide 566 IU of vitamin D. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week. 

Large fish containing high amounts of mercury are recommended for pregnant women and children to avoid. 

You can make swordfish kebabs toasted with onions, green bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. 

Food	Quantity	Micrograms (mcg) per serving	International Units (IU) per serving	Percent DV
Cod Liver Oil	1 Tablespoon	34.0	1,360	170
Trout (rainbow)	3 Ounces	16.2	645	81
Salmon (sockeye)	3 Ounces	14.2	570	71
White Mushroom	½ cup	9.2	366	46
Milk (2% milkfat, vitamin D fortified)	1 cup	2.9	120	15
Soy, almond, and oat milk (vitamin D fortified)	1 cup	2.5-3.6	100-144	13-18
Ready-to-eat cereal (fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D)	1 Serving	2.0	120	15
Atlantic Sardines (canned in oil, drained)	2 Sardines	1.2	46	6
Scrambled Egg	One large	1.1	44	6
Liver, beef (braised)	3 ounces	1.0	42	5
Light Tuna fish (canned in water and drained)	3 ounces	1.0	40	5
Cheddar Cheese	1.5 ounces	0.4	17	2
Mushroom, portabella (raw and diced)	½ cup	0.1	4	1
Chicken breast (roasted)	3 ounces	0.1	4	1
Ground beef (90% lean and broiled)	3 ounces	0	1.7	0
Broccoli (raw and chopped)	½ cup	0	0	0
Carrots (raw and chopped)	½ cup	0	0	0
Almonds (dry roasted)	1 ounce	0	0	0
Large Apple	1	0	0	0
Large Banana	1	0	0	0
Brown Rice (long-grain and cooked)	1 cup	0	0	0
Whole wheat bread	1 Slice	0	0	0
Boiled Lentils	½ cup	0	0	0
Sunflower Seeds (roasted)	½ cup	0	0	0
Edamame (shelled and cooked)	½ cup	0	0	0

Also read: https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/health/how-to-increase-vitamin-d-levels-quickly/ 

Health Benefits of Vitamin D-Rich Food 

Vitamin D has several benefits in the human body. Let’s understand them. 

• Ensures Bone Health: Vitamin D works in synergy with calcium, helping improve bone health and making the body internally strong. 

• Maintain the Immune System: Vitamin D assists in reducing the chances of respiratory infections and autoimmune disorders and prevents several cancers, too. This helps in maintaining the immune system. 

• Improved Muscle Function: Vitamin D helps improve muscle strength, growth, coordination, and overall mobility. It also enhances muscle functionality and reduces the chances of fractures in older adults. 

• Control Cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is called bad cholesterol, and research has concluded that vitamin D helps reduce LDL cholesterol and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, in the body. 

• Aids in Controlling Asthma: Although there is no direct relation between vitamin D and asthma, studies and research have shown that vitamin D deficiency can be found among individuals with asthma. 

Recommended Intake Of Vitamin D Rich Food For Different Age Groups 

Age	Male	Female	Pregnant Women	Lactation
0-12 Months	Ten mcg (400 IU)	10 mcg (400 IU)
1-13 Years	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)
14-18 Years	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)
19-50 Years	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)
51-70 Years	15 mcg (600 IU)	15 mcg (600 IU)
>70 Years	20 mcg (800 IU)	20 mcg (800 IU)

Key Takeaways

Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient in your body. It promotes overall well-being and helps in maintaining the functioning of the system. The easiest way to get vitamin D is by staying outside under the sun. The other way to get vitamin D is through food. Add eggs, fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, cereals, and oats to your daily diet. This aids in maintaining strong bones and balanced functioning of the immune system. 

If you know the symptoms and signs and have doubts, get yourself tested at Redcliffe Labs for just INR 499.