10 Ways to Get Vitamin D Without the Sun
From the beginning of October through March, the angle of the sun prevents much of North America from getting vitamin D making vitamin D-rich foods essential during the winter months.
By Reader's Digest Editors
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During the summer, the body can convert sunlight from just 10 to 15 minutes of daily exposure into ample amounts of vitamin D. From the beginning of October through March, however, that's not possible in much of North America, when the angle of the sun sinks lower into the southern hemisphere and daylight becomes more scarce. So you may need to up your consumption of vitamin D-rich food in the winter (even if you're spending lots of time outside building snowmen!). The current recommendation is 400-600 IU per day.
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1. Mushrooms
100 grams of mushrooms provide some vitamin D so freely toss in your food. But for a biggest boost, Dole produces special Portobello mushrooms that have been exposed to a flash of light to increase the content of the vitamin. One package contains the amount suggested by experts. You can even sprinkle on the benefits with their Portobello Mushroom Powder.
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2. Salmon
With more than 100 IU per ounce salmon tops all other foods for naturally occurring vitamin D.
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3. Canned Salmon
6 ounces has 323% of your daily need. Toss this on a salad instead of chicken or try a salmon salad sandwich instead of tuna. Consider this a more cost-effective way of getting in your weekly salmon.
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4. Oysters
½ dozen oysters have over 60% of your daily need.
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5. Halibut
3 ounces has 254% of your daily need. Halibut is a firm white fish that has a mild flavor.
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6. Shrimp
6 ounces has 64% of your daily needs. As we know from Forrest Gump, there are endless ways to enjoy shrimp.
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7. Cod
For being a relatively mild-tasting fish, Cod has a commendable 18% of your daily need for the vitamin in 6 ounces.
For other fish with good levels of vitamin D check out this list.
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8. Egg
1 large egg has 4% of your daily value, but you need to include the yolk.
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9. Cheese
Swiss – 1 ounce has 3% Parmesan – 1 ounces has 2% Cheddar – 1 ounce has 1%
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10. Fortified products
Fortified milk, soy milk and tofu are also additional sources. Vitamin D may be difficult to get enough of if you dislike fish or don't eat it frequently enough. Get your levels checked and discuss supplementation with your doctor. Souces: naturalnews.com, nutritiondata.com, dietandfitnesstoday.com, whfoods.com
