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Vitamin D Foods..The Essential Food Guide

Vitamin D Foods As we know there has been so much research on the health benefits of this unique vitamin. Of course, more research is needed to really help us reach some firm conclusions regarding the benefits to us, however one thing is very clear..It has never been more important to focus on getting more vitamin D from our diet.

A recent survey from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (UK) reveals that adults only get around 3mcg of vitamin D daily (on average) from food sources. This is too low, and worringly, children and teenagers only get around 2mcg.

As to what the actual guidelines are for the daily recommended intake, that differs from country to country, so there is no real 'set' amount. However the World Health Organization recommends 5mcg daily for everyone under 50 years, but 10mcg for 51 to 65 year olds and 15mcg a day for over 65's.

In America, the institute of Medicine..says even more! Their RDA for vitamin D is 15mcg a day from 1 year to 70 year olds. And 20 mcg for over 70's.

What are the best sources of vitamin D in foods?

Below is a list of essential foods containing vitamin D.

1 small can of pilchards (155g) in tomato sauce 21.7mcg
1 medium filleted herring (120g) 19.3mcg
1 medium grilled trout (155g) 14.9mcg
1 portion of grilled mackerel (160g) 14.1mcg
1 medium grilled kipper (130g) 12.2mcg
1 small can of sardines in tomato sauce (120g) 9.6mcg
1 steamed salmon steak (100g) 8.7mcg
Half a small can of tuna in oil (75g) 2.5mcg
Branflakes (30g) 1.3mcg
1 boiled egg 1.1mcg
Portion of lean roast beef (70g) 0.6mcg
1 tsp low fat spread (5g) 0.4mcg

Probably one of the easiest ways to get your daily dose is from drinking fortified milk.

Just one glass of fortified milk will give you about 100 IU, or about 25 per cent of the daily value for this vitamin.

Other good food sources are soya products and shitake mushrooms.

The problem is that there is very little on offer in the way of natural dietary sources of vitamin-D.

Thankfully, a lot of breakfast cereals are now fortified with the D vitamin (and have been for many years) but these tend to be highly processed and can contain too much sugar and salt, so be careful.

Margarine is fortified with it..by law (not a great choice), and other foods are quickly following the trend such as orange juice, fromage frais, soya milk and yoghurts to name a few.

Vitamin D in your diet is probably not that important if you lived in Florida for instance, but if you live, say north of Atlanta, then you will need to increase your intake of foods rich in this vitamin..or even consider a supplement.

Lack of vitamin D and the potential health risks have been well documented, low levels of it can weaken bones (and muscles) and reduce calcium absorption..leading to osteporosis.

More worringly, a deficiency in it could lead to an increased risk of breast and colorectal cancers. And scientists are also claiming a lack of it can also contribute to such diverse diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatois arthritis, high blood pressure and heart disease too.