Vitamin D Foods
Bet You Didn't Know
About This One

Unfortunately Vitamin D foods are rare, and there are only a few good Vitamin D sources to come by at all.

Really the only significant Vitamin D sources worth discussing are the sun, Vitamin D3 supplements and fish.

There are no fruits or vegetables that contain an amount of Vitamin D that would be considered significant.

However there are a few other foods with Vitamin D -one of which that you may be surprised at. I know that I was!

Vitamin D foods

These few sources are really the only significant sources of foods with Vitamin D. There are a few others, but they have so little Vitamin D that that they are not worth discussing.

Cod Liver Oil

Cod Liver Oil has a long history of being a highly nutritious food. From the 1800's and into the mid 1900's, mother's would regularly have their kids line up to get a spoonful of cod liver oil every day.

Although it was only a "folk remedy" and the mothers couldn't say exactly why it was good for their kids, we know today that it was a pretty good idea.

On the Vitamin D facts page, we discussed the potent effects that Vitamin D has on the immune system and how it prevents colds and flu.

Cod liver oil also is a rich source of Omega Three Fatty Acids. Nutrients that most people in the west are severely deficient in.

However, with only about 400 - 500 IU's per teaspoon (depending upon the manufacturer), that's not a significant amount of Vitamin D.

Unfortunately, cod liver oil also contains Vitamin A.

And to get a significant dose of Vitamin D, you would have to consume so much Vitamin A that you would quickly become toxic.

Therefore, Cod Liver Oil should NOT really be treated as a Vitamin D food- or any OTHER type of food or supplement for that matter.

Eggs

Egg yolk is another Vitamin D food.

Each yolk contains about 20 IU's of Vitamin D.

That's not nearly enough to count on as a significant food source of Vitamin D

Fish

Fish are a good natural source of Vitamin D.

But only FATTY fish; salmon, sardines, makerel, and herring are good sources of vitamin D.

And a serving will always vary significantly due to the fat content of the fish, but you can estimate that a serving of one of these fish can get you between 200 - 1200 IU's per serving.

Fatty fish also contain the Omega 3 fatty acids that we so desperately need in the west, so these are great dietary choices.

But unless you eat a lot of fish, you're probably not going to meet your Vitamin D requirements. You also risk higher mercury exposure when you eat large predatorial fish, so you need to balance out that risk as well.

Milk

We think of milk products as good Vitamin D food sources, but that is only because they have been fortified. Most milk products tend to have about 100 IU's per serving, so they may not even be the best Vitamin D sources either.

The issue of milk is a WHOLE discussion in itself. Milk is a VERY frequent allergen that many people don't even know they are allergic to.

This low level allergy could even be contributing to many chronic diseases.

There is debate about whether pasteurization and chemicals like rBST and antibiotics that are given to cows have made standard milk products unfit for human consumption anyway.

So, think critically about what you are putting in your body when you use milk to provide nutrients like Vitamin D and Calcium. They may not be the great sources that we have been led to believe.

The Surprising Vitamin D food

But there is ONE that actually IS a good Vitamin D food source, and I'm sure that it will surprise you.

Mushrooms!

Yep, mushrooms can be a GREAT Vitamin D source under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, these circumstances are often not met - but the good news is that you can actually create those circumstances.

Mushrooms, like us, photosynthesize Vitamin D from the sun.

Unfortunately, farmed mushrooms are grown in the dark.

Wild mushrooms, however get some sun exposure and have a certain amount of Vitamin D. A study done on volunteers who ate wild mushrooms every day at lunch for 3 weeks showed that this Vitamin D gets absorbed and so is actually one of the few very good Vitamin D foods, and the only natural source of Vegan Vitamin D.

How much Vitamin D do mushrooms have?

Wild mushrooms have about 400 - 500 IU per serving.

Pretty soon, however, you may see Supermushrooms in the supermarket. These will be mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light either during or after harvest.

These mushrooms may have up to 2500 IU's per serving! Wow!

If you can find sun dried mushrooms, this would be another great source of Vitamin D. If you can't get wild or sun dried mushrooms and don't want to wait for Supermushrooms, theoretically you should be able to make your own Supermushrooms by sitting store bought mushrooms out in the sun or under a UV light for 5 to 10 minutes!

The downside to getting your Vitamin D from mushrooms is that they only contain Vitamin D2- and Vitamin D2 is a much inferior form to the Vitamin D3 that is made in our own bodies from the sun. Therefore, mushrooms are not the recommended way to get your vitamin d. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, then take a look at the Vegan Vitamin D page and find out what your best options are.

If this isn't possible, you may want to consider getting your Vitamin D level checked and supplementing accordingly because getting your requirements through Vitamin D foods may not be realistic.

Next --->
Vitamin D Side Effects

Vitamin D Resources

5000 IU Vitamin D 3 Supplements- Vitamin D3 is really the ONLY vitamin d that you should be taking. Get Vitamin D 3 in a clinically relevant dose for adults

Vitamin D in a Spray!- This Vitamin D3 is GREAT for kids. Just a spray a day is all it takes.

Fact Sheet on Vitamin D- Get this fact sheet and have everything that you need to know about Vitamin D right at your fingertips!

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