The sun is less likely to provide your daily needs at higher latitudes, in the winter, or if you're older or dark skinned (skin pigment blocks light and the process is less efficient with age). These lamps carry the same skin-cancer risks and need for protective eyewear, so they're best for those with a doctor's recommendation.
Plus, a longer shelf life makes the canned products easy to stock up on and use at your leisure. Vitamin D may be known as the sunshine vitamin, but too few of us think to look for it in the fridge—and that's a big mistake. Typically, D2 comes from plants and D3 from animals (15).

While vitamin D content depends on the type of mushroom, certain varieties — such as wild maitake mushrooms — provide as much as 2,348 IU per 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving. "You can have all the calcium in the world, [but] it doesn’t get absorbed into your bones" without vitamin D, Donald Ford, MD, a family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, tells Health.

Here are some other ways to get more foods with vitamin D in your diet: (425 IU in 3 oz salmon, 547 IU in 3 oz mackerel). In theory, wearing sunscreen may reduce the ability to produce vitamin D, but short-term studies have shown it has little or no impact on blood levels.

Individuals who do not get enough sun exposure, Individuals who are obese, overweight, and those who have had gastric bypass surgery. You can also buy single vitamin supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D for babies and young children at most pharmacies and larger supermarkets. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Luckily, there are plenty of (easy) ways to get the recommended amount each day—here's how. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Vitamin D is essential for health, but it can be hard to get enough of it from your diet. Produced in response to sunlight hitting your skin, Vitamin D helps keep your immune system in top shape. According to this recommendation, wearing a tank top and shorts for 10–30 minutes three times per week during the summer should be sufficient for most people with lighter skin. How Much Vitamin D Should You Take For Optimal Health? Toxicity is rare, but can occur with extremely high….

Learn how to get a perfect egg every time: (154 IU in 3 oz tuna, 270 IU in 3.5 oz sardines). For example, people who live Boston, USA and Edmonton, Canada struggle to make any vitamin D from sunlight between the months of November and February (13). If you’re unsure whether a particular food has been fortified with vitamin D, check its ingredients list. (FYI: IU stands for international units, which is what vitamin D is measured in, rather than grams or milligrams.) Canned tuna fish and canned sardines both contain vitamin D, and are usually less expensive than fresh fish. During winter months, they cannot make vitamin D from sunlight, so they need to get it from foods or supplements. If you’re planning to stay in the sun for a while, it’s best to apply sunscreen after 10–30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to help prevent sunburn and skin cancer. Probably not. So people who live farther away from the equator usually need to spend more time in the sun to produce enough (13). It’s best to apply sunscreen after 10–30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure to avoid the harmful consequences of excess sunlight. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free.

Not a dairy fan?

You can purchase lamps that emit UV-B radiation to stimulate vitamin D production. Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you. That means you need to expose lots of skin to the sunlight to make enough. This article explores the relationship between vitamin D and body…. Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville. The Surprising Truth, plant-based milk alternatives like soy, almond, and hemp milk. Why trust us? The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. When your skin is exposed to UV-B radiation from the sun, it’s able to produce its own vitamin D. UV lamps mimic the action of the sun and can be especially helpful if your sun exposure is limited due to geography or time indoors.