The interest in vitamin D and its influence on your health has grown enormously recently. We want all ins and outs know about it. As you probably know, your body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. For that reason, it can sometimes be difficult to get enough vitamin D in our rainy little country. Moreover, it is advisable to apply sunscreen in the spring and summer, which actually hinders the absorption of vitamin D. It is therefore smart to adjust your diet (especially in winter) and add products that are packed with vitamin D. But what contains a lot of vitamin D?
Vitamin D benefits
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First it is important to know what vitamin D does to your body. We can be short and sweet about that: vitamin D is an essential vitamin that you need to absorb calcium from food into the body. Fortunately, it is a fat-soluble vitamin that your body can make itself. When your body is exposed to sunlight, vitamin D is formed in your skin. If this is not enough, certain foods provide extra vitamin D.
Vitamin D therefore ensures that your body can absorb calcium and phosphate. As a result, vitamin D has several advantages: it ensures the proper functioning of your immune system, the growth and maintenance of strong teeth and bones, and the proper functioning of your muscles.
How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?
Many Dutch people do not get nearly enough vitamin D to benefit from the many health benefits. This is especially difficult in autumn and winter. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 10 micrograms. There is an exception for people over the age of 70, they should receive 20 micrograms per day. Furthermore, some people need more vitamin D if your skin receives little UV radiation, for example.
Vitamin D deficiency
A vitamin D deficiency occurs when your body does not get enough vitamin D from sunlight or food. This can result in various side effects. Adjusting your diet can have great results, but supplements can also help get your vitamin D levels back on track. Please note: always consult your doctor or a dietitian for the right supplement. Before you know it you have too much vitamin D in your body. That too can be dangerous. This can cause damage to your heart, kidneys and blood vessels. These are the symptoms of too much vitamin D.
Vitamin D in food
We probably don’t have to tell you that nutrition can do a lot with your health (hello, healthy life). However, it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D through food. They are rather specific products. That’s because vitamin D comes in two different forms:
- Ergocalciferol (vitamine D2)
- Cholecalciferol (vitamine D3)
Vitamin D2 is mainly found in mushrooms and fungi and vitamin D3 is found in foods of animal origin. Good to know is that vitamin D3 has a slightly stronger effect than vitamin D2.
How can I increase my vitamin D?
Vitamin D is not called the sunshine vitamin for nothing. To increase your vitamin D, it is best to just go outside. When exposed to UV radiation, this substance is converted into vitamin D in your skin. This is of course a bit more difficult in the winter months, so you can boost your vitamin D levels by eating more foods rich in vitamin D. Finally, the last option: taking supplements. These can help you with a deficiency, but don’t just take pills. Get advice from your doctor or a nutritionist.
What does vitamin D contain?
Before you think about supplements, take a closer look at how you can adjust your diet. To make this step a little easier, we’ve listed a few key foods that will help you get your daily dose of sunshine vitamins – without the sun!
- Rainbow trout – a 100 gram piece of rainbow trout contains 94% of the RDI
- Cod liver oil – one teaspoon contains a whopping 56% of the RDI
- Salmon – a 100 gram serving contains 46% of the RDI
- Canned tuna – a 100 gram serving contains 34% of the RDI
- Mackerel – a piece of smoked mackerel for 1 slice of bread contains 33% of the RDI
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Herring – a fresh 100 gram serving contains 27% of the RDI
- Sardines – a 100 gram serving contains 24% of the RDI
- Mushrooms – a cup of wild mushrooms contains 17% of the RDI
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Egg yolk – the yolk of one large egg contains 5% of the RDI
- Beef tartare – one piece (70 grams) contains 4% of the RDI
Vitamin D in vegetables
As you can read in the list above, there is hardly any vitamin D in vegetables. Only mushrooms are rich in vitamin D, but only if they are grown under UV lamps. To make sure they contain vitamin D, you can take them out of their packaging and place them in the sun for half an hour to an hour. The ideal time to do this is somewhere between 10am and 3am, in the spring and summer months.
Which fruit contains a lot of vitamin D?
Bad news: fruit contains no vitamin D at all. Nuts and seeds are also not rich in vitamin D. But that does not alter the fact that fruit, nuts and seeds are very healthy and therefore certainly part of a healthy lifestyle. So don’t hesitate and add them to your diet.
Vegan in vitamin D
And for all vegetarians and vegans among us: natural sources of vitamin D are limited. Apart from mushrooms, there are few food products that contain this vitamin. Fortunately, there are products on the market that are enriched with this nutrient, namely:
1. Cow’s milk
Cow’s milk is naturally a good source of many nutrients, such as calcium and phosphorus. In several countries (including the Netherlands), cow’s milk is fortified with vitamin D. One cup is rich in about 15 percent of the recommended daily amount.
2. Soy milk
Since vitamin D is found exclusively in fungi or animal products, it can be used for vegetarians or vegans be difficult to get enough of this vitamin. For this reason, plant-based milk substitutes are often fortified with vitamin D. On average, one cup contains 13-15 percent of the recommended daily intake.
3. Orange juice
You can also sometimes find added vitamin D in orange juice. One cup can already contain 12% of the recommended daily amount. Please note: a glass of orange juice is often full of sugars. So it’s not really a healthy option.
4. The fir tree
Various grains (such as oatmeal) are also enriched with vitamin D. Check the label for this, because this differs per product.
Source: Healthline, The Nutrition Center, Harvard