Eating a balanced diet is essential to staying healthy, so your diet must meet your nutritional needs. To do so, you need to eat a varied diet, as each food has different nutritional values, including a range of vitamins and minerals that each serve an essential function for you to maintain good health. One essential vitamin is vitamin D, and here is some information about why you need this vitamin, the impact of vitamin D deficiency, and the best foods with vitamin D to include in your diet.
Why Do You Need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is vital in the body as it helps regulate your body’s calcium and phosphate levels. You need essential nutrients to keep your muscles, teeth, skin, and bones healthy. It is also important for immune function.
What Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is something of which I have personal experience. I began suffering from vitamin D deficiency several years ago. The main cause of this problem was spending too much time sitting inside working at the computer, and not enough time outdoors in the sunshine.
The primary source of vitamin D comes from the sun, so people who do not spend enough time outdoors may not have enough vitamin D in their system. It is an increasingly common problem in modern life, as more people work long hours in offices, and fewer people work outdoors.
It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic has also significantly impacted the number of people suffering from vitamin D deficiency due to the guidelines to stay indoors during the outbreak. The NHS recommends that people who have developed a vitamin D deficiency due to the pandemic should start taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day, but they should not exceed this amount.
To avoid suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, you should spend time outdoors and eat the best foods for vitamin D intake.
What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?
If children have a vitamin D deficiency, it can lead to problems with their bone development and a condition called rickets. In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to a painful condition called osteomalacia.
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms can vary from one person to the next, so some people will have only a few symptoms, while others will have them all. According to Healthline, some of the common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:
- Low immunity and repeated infections
- Back and bone pain
- Fatigue
- Slow healing
- Depression
- Muscle pain
- Bone loss/ low bone density
- Hair loss
What is the Main Source of Vitamin D?
While most vitamins and minerals needed for the body to function are found predominantly in foods, that is not the case with vitamin D. Although some foods contain this vitamin, the main source of vitamin D comes from sunlight. Therefore, it is essential to spend some time outdoors daily to get this vitamin into your system.
What Are the Best Foods with Vitamin D?
Despite people getting most of their vitamin D from sunshine, there are also many foods containing vitamin D. It is especially important to include some of these foods in your diet if you know you have a vitamin D deficiency or if you do not spend enough time outdoors. According to Better Bones, the following are some of the best foods for vitamin D to include in your diet to boost your vitamin D.
Fish- The Best Food for Vitamin D
The food containing the most vitamin D is fish, although levels can vary from one fish to the next. According to health.gov, some of the best varieties to boost your vitamin D levels include salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, and swordfish, says health.gov. One of our recipes you might like to try is oven-baked salmon with lemon, and another is smoked mackerel pate.
Liver- A Meat Source
All types of liver contain vitamin D. Beef liver has the highest levels, but you will also find this vitamin in lamb or chicken liver. A delicious recipe to try is our chicken liver pate with brandy.
Milk- Best Drink for Vitamin D
Milk does not naturally contain vitamin D, but it has been added to milk in the UK since the 1930s to decrease the number of children being diagnosed with rickets, says Healthline. Nonetheless, milk is the drink with the best source of vitamin D.
It is not only cow’s milk that contains vitamin D, so there are options for those who follow a plant-based diet. For example, soy milk, almond milk, and rice milk are all a source of vitamin D.
Eggs- One of the Best Foods with Vitamin D for Vegetarians
A simple way to boost your vitamin D levels is to eat eggs, as they are one of the best foods with vitamin D. Eggs are a good option for vegetarians who cannot eat liver or fish and are also a good source of protein. One delicious meal you can try to give you a boost is eggs Florentine. As this dish also contains spinach, it is a good source of iron in your diet.
Mushrooms- One of the Best Foods with Vitamin D for Vegans
Those who follow a vegan diet have fewer options when it comes to boosting their vitamin D levels with their diet. One of the best foods for vitamin D for vegans is mushrooms; most varieties contain this vitamin. For inspiration for how you can include mushrooms in your meals, you might like to read our article about ideas for stuffed mushrooms or try our mushroom and walnut pate.
Cereal and Bread- Fortified Foods
Some foods have vitamins added to them to promote good health. One such food is cereals, as many are fortified with vitamin D. However, it is important to note that not all cereals contain vitamin D, so you should check the packaging first. Similarly, some bread is fortified with vitamin D.
Other Solutions
Eating a diet that includes food containing vitamin D is not the only solution to boosting your vitamin D levels. The most important step to take is to spend some time outdoors each day. If your doctor diagnoses vitamin D deficiency or a related health problem, then they may prescribe vitamin D medication.
The Final Verdict
Although the best source of vitamin D is from sunlight, there are also foods with vitamin D. Including these in your diet will give you a boost and reduce the risk of you becoming vitamin D deficient. Some of the best foods with vitamin D to include in your diet are fish, liver, milk, eggs, cereal, and mushrooms.