Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Like other vitamins, vitamin D has plenty of health benefits, and ensuring that you are getting enough of it in your diet is important. If you don’t know if you’re getting enough vitamin D, following these suggestions and incorporating some of these healthy foods into your diet might help.

Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D promotes bone and teeth health. It helps regulate calcium and phosphorous levels so that you get the most out of these important minerals. Getting enough vitamin D can also help you regulate your insulin levels and manage diabetes. If that’s not enough vitamin D can also:

• Help boost cardiovascular health
  
• Improve resistance to the flu
  
• Alleviate depression
  
• Improve lung function

Adequate levels of vitamin D can also help you avoid a condition called osteomalacia later on in life. This disease can weaken your bones, making it easier for them to break and harder for them to heal. If you want to get the full benefits of vitamin D, you need at least 10 micrograms of it per day. That’s not a lot, but you can easily miss out on this crucial vitamin if you’re not careful, especially in the winter.

Dietary Sources of Vitamin D

If you’re looking for more vitamin D, you may want to add more fish to your diet. Oily fish, like salmon, sardines, and herring, all contain vitamin D in addition to other helpful nutrients. Canned tuna is another good choice. If you’re not into fish, but you’re still a carnivore, not to worry. Red meat and liver both contain significant amounts of vitamin D.

You can also focus on getting the vitamin D that you need during the most important meal of the day. Some popular breakfast foods, like cereals and eggs, can offer the vitamin D that you need. Just make sure that the cereal that you put in your cart is “fortified” and lists vitamin D on its nutrition facts panel, and don’t get rid of those egg yolks! The yellow parts contain the vitamins you’re looking for! If you really want to double down and get the vitamin D that you need, try an omelet with mushrooms. Mushrooms also offer plenty of vitamin D, and they go great with healthy veggies like spinach.

Other Sources of Vitamin D

We mentioned that it can be easy to miss out on the vitamin D you need during the winter months. That’s because one big source of this vitamin is actually sunlight. When you aren’t outside as often, you may end up lacking in vitamin D.

If you can’t make up for that deficiency through diet alone, you can take supplements. Your local pharmacy or grocery store likely sells a multivitamin or just vitamin D by itself in supplement form. Just consult your doctor before taking any kind of supplement.

For More Healthy Diet Tips

If you want to learn more about living healthy and getting the nutrients that your body requires, visit our website. The Organic Restaurants blog is full of helpful tips and our directory can link you to healthy and organic eateries in your city.