Vitamin D Rich Food Sources: Foods, Fruits & Vegetables

A healthy diet includes intake of the right proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and roughage. Any one component missing from your diet can lead to malnutrition. More often than not, people suffer from vitamin deficiency.

Further, complications occur because there are a number of vitamins essential to your body, and people often miss taking one or the other in their daily diet. One such vitamin is vitamin D, which regulates calcium and phosphate amounts in the body.

In this article, you will find everything you need to know about vitamin D foods.

Without any delay, let’s begin!

Vitamin D falls under the group of fat-soluble vitamins. They are responsible for regulating calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the body. Further, vitamin D3 and D2 are essential components in this group necessary for humans.

Generally, your skin can synthesise vitamin D in the presence of sunlight due to the presence of cholecalciferol in the lower epidermis. However, one can ingest this vitamin from several sources.

As this vitamin keeps the bones, teeth and muscles functioning properly, deficiency causes bone and teeth deformities. The most common disease observed among the Indian population is rickets.

Here are some other roles of vitamin D rich foods in your body:

• Helps in promoting healthy bones and teeth. 
• Supports immune, brain and nervous system. 
• Regulates insulin level, thereby supporting diabetes management.
• Promotes lung function and cardiovascular health. 
• Influences gene expressions that are involved in cancer involvement.

Therefore, it is vital to intake foods high in vitamin D to keep your bones healthy and functioning properly.

Now let’s go through some food items that are rich in vitamin D.

Although sunlight exposure can synthesise vitamin D in your body, it is not reliable because of the weather conditions. Therefore, to get sufficient vitamin D in your body, you should consider including the following vitamin D foods in your daily diet:

• Oily fishes like salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines.
• Red meat 
• Liver 
• Egg yolks
• Fortified foods like fat spreads, breakfast cereals, etc.

Now let’s delve deeper into these food items to understand how much of these foods you should intake.

1. Salmon

This is a fatty fish and an excellent source of vitamin D. As per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Database, a single serving of 100gm Atlantic salmon contains 526 IU of vitamin D.

Furthermore, the intake of salmon fishes from the wild or from farming can make a big difference. Wild-caught salmon are richer in vitamin D than the ones farmed. A serving of 100gm of wild-caught salmon contains 988 IU of vitamin D, whereas, the same for a farmed salmon is only 25% of the given value.

2. Herrings and Sardines

Herring is a popular fish served around the world in canned, smoked, pickled or raw form.  It packs 216 IU of vitamin D per 100gm serving. Further, pickled herring contains 112 IU of vitamin D and sodium, which is also an essential component for the human body.

Other than this, sardines are also a reliable source of this vitamin. It contains 177 IU of vitamin D. Fatty fishes like halibut and mackerel are vitamin D foods one should include in his or her diet.

3. Cod Liver Oil

You can take this supplement instead of consuming fish. It is rich in nutrients and contains 448 IU vitamin D per teaspoon. Children suffering from vitamin D deficiency can consider taking this.

Furthermore, it is also rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for your body. However, you should remember not to take too much cod liver oil, as an increase in vitamin A in your body can be harmful.

4. Canned Tuna

Packing 268IU of vitamin D, canned tuna is an excellent source. It’s also a cheap option compared to buying fresh fish. Also, by consuming canned tuna, you can increase niacin and vitamin K amounts in your body.

However, overconsumption of this food item can lead to serious ailments as it contains toxic methylmercury.

Therefore, you should consider consuming light tuna instead of white.

5. Egg Yolks

Seafood is not the only source of vitamin D. One can get 37 IU of this vitamin by consuming a typical egg. However, the vitamin D content in this food is dependent on sun exposure and the vitamin D content in chicken feed.

Therefore, pasture-raised chickens that are sun-exposed produce eggs that are 3-4 times rich in vitamin D. These eggs contain 6000 IU vitamin D.

6. Mushrooms

This is a plant source of vitamin D. Like humans, mushrooms can synthesise vitamin D in the presence of sunlight. They are rich in vitamin D2 and are said to pack 2300 IU per 100gm.

However, the mushrooms are grown commercially and contain low amounts of vitamin D2. Certain brands treat them in UV light that makes them a good source of vitamin D. These mushrooms contain 130-450 IU of vitamin D2.

7. Fortified Foods

Natural vitamin D foods are limited. However, certain food items that do not contain this nutrient naturally are fortified with this. Such vitamin D rich food items are:

• Cow’s Milk: This is the commonly consumed food item in India containing calcium, phosphorus, and riboflavin. It is an excellent source of vitamin D, usually containing 115-130 IU per cup.
• Soymilk: Soymilk contains the same amount of nutrients as present in cow’s milk, making it a healthy food item for vegans and vegetarians. One cup of soymilk packs 107-117 IU of vitamin D. 
• Orange Juice: Lactose intolerant people may find this item to be a reliable source of nutrients as it is fortified with vitamin D and calcium. A cup of fortified orange juice provides 100 IU vitamin D. 
• Cereal and Oatmeal: Half a cup of cereals contains 54-136 IU vitamin D making it a decent source. 

Typically, animal-based foods are rich in vitamin D. Therefore, it is difficult to find vitamin D rich vegetables in the market. To know more about vitamin D sources for vegetarians, refer to the following section!

A person’s dietary intake of vitamin D solely depends on animal proteins and fortified food items. Although you would not find vitamin D vegetables, some plant-based food items and plant milk can be good sources of this nutrient. Here are some food items vegetarians and vegans can consume:

• Wild Mushrooms: If you are wondering which vegetable is high in vitamin D, you can count on certain mushrooms, which are plant sources of vitamin D. These mushrooms are exposed to UV light when grown commercially. You should check the label for vitamin D content while purchasing this food item. Furthermore, you can get wild mushrooms from farmers markets.
• Plant Milk: Certain plant milk like soy, rice, oat, hemp, or almond milk are fortified with vitamin D in an amount similar to that of cow’s milk. A cup of such milk provides up to 100 IU of this nutrient.
• Yoghurt: Dairy and non-dairy yoghurts are rich in vitamin D as they are fortified with it. Per 100gm of yoghurt contains around 52 IU vitamin D.
• Tofu: Tofu is an alternative to soft cheese products, widely consumed by vegans all around. Some of them are fortified with vitamin D. 100gm of tofu gives 100 IU vitamin D.
• Hot and Cold Cereals: Certain ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and oatmeal are recognised as a good source of vitamin D because they are fortified. A half-cup of cereal packs in about 120 IU of vitamin D based on their variety.
• Margarine: Several brands of margarine add vitamin D to their products, making it a replacement for butter, which does not contain this nutrient. A teaspoon of margarine gives around 20 IU vitamin D. 

In case the above-mentioned food items do not meet your daily vitamin D intake, experts recommend increasing sunlight exposure and taking supplements. Generally, vegetarians can go for vitamin D2 supplements that are derived from yeast or mushrooms exposed to UV rays.

Similarly, vitamin D fruits are also not easily available in comparison to other sources of this nutrient. The following section explains some vitamin D rich fruits in India.

When you are planning to include fruits rich in vitamin D in your daily diet, it is advisable to look for fortified food items. These do not contain this particular nutrient naturally but can become a reliable source after artificial treatment. One such item is orange juice.

Upon searching for fruits high in vitamin D, orange juice serves the purpose as it is fortified with vitamin D and calcium. A cup of orange juice gives around 100 IU of vitamin D, which is 12% of the Daily Value. (FDA developed Daily Value to help consumers compare their daily nutrition intake from foods and supplements with the total diet).

Other than this, one can increase their vitamin D intake by including breakfast cereals and oatmeal in their diets. Sunlight exposure is also recommended if you fail to include animal-based vitamin D foods in your diet.