Get vitamin D from food
Eat fatty fish, fortified milk and UV-exposed mushrooms so you are not relying on the sun alone.
- How often
- Daily
- Time
- Part of meals
- Recommended for
- 30 factors
How to do it
- Aim for the recommended intake: 15 mcg (600 IU) a day for adults 19 to 70, and 20 mcg (800 IU) from age 71.
- Fatty fish is the richest source: 3 ounces of cooked farmed rainbow trout has about 16 mcg (645 IU), and 3 ounces of sockeye salmon about 14 mcg (570 IU).
- Add fortified foods. A cup of fortified milk has about 3 mcg (120 IU). Some cereals, orange juice, yogurt and soy drinks are fortified too, so check the label.
- Use mushrooms labeled as UV-exposed. Half a cup of sliced raw white mushrooms exposed to UV light has about 9 mcg (366 IU).
- Eggs help a little, at about 1 mcg (44 IU) per large egg.
Why it helps
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and keep bones strong. Your skin makes it in sunlight, but indoor work, winter, cloud cover, sunscreen and darker skin all cut how much you make. Few foods contain it naturally, so it helps to plan for it.
Be careful
Don't seek out extra sun to make vitamin D. UV exposure is the most preventable cause of skin cancer. Most cases of too much vitamin D come from supplements, and the upper limit for adults is 100 mcg (4,000 IU) a day. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before starting a supplement.
Recommended for
Alaska
Months of low sun, deep cold and summer smoke from big wildfires.
placeConnecticut
The town Lyme disease is named for, plus short winter days.
placeDelaware
A high-Lyme state with humid summers on the coast.
placeDistrict of Columbia
Urban heat, summer ozone and ticks even inside the city.
placeIdaho
Mountain radon, smoky summers, cold winters and weak winter sun.
placeIllinois
High-radon soil, dark winters, cold snaps and deadly summer heat waves.
placeIndiana
High-radon soil, gray winters, humid summers and a lot of private wells.
placeIowa
Every county is high-radon country, and farm-country wells need testing.
placeMaine
One of the highest Lyme rates in the US, plus radon and arsenic in wells.
placeMaryland
High-Lyme suburbs, radon in the central counties and humid summers.
placeMassachusetts
Lyme country, cold winters and the original vitamin D winter study.
placeMichigan
Long gray winters, lake-effect cold and arsenic in some wells.
placeMinnesota
Deep cold, dark winters, high radon, Lyme ticks and arsenic in wells.
placeMontana
High-radon ground, smoky summers, bitter winters and a short winter sun.
placeNebraska
Radon under the house, mosquitoes in late summer, deep cold in winter.
placeNew Hampshire
Granite bedrock, tick-filled woods, and long, dark winters.
placeNew Jersey
Lyme ticks in the suburbs and radon in the northwestern hills.
placeNew York
Lyme country upstate and on Long Island, with long, gray winters.
habitNight shift work
Awake when your body expects to sleep, asleep when the world is loud.
placeNorth Dakota
Radon in every county, brutal wind chill, and West Nile in summer.
placeOhio
High radon across much of the state and a gray, low-sun winter.
placeOregon
Wildfire smoke in late summer and dim, cloudy winters.
placePennsylvania
Most counties in EPA's top radon zone, and plenty of Lyme ticks.
habitPlant-based diet
Vegan or vegetarian eating, built on beans, grains, nuts and produce.
placeRhode Island
Small state, big Lyme numbers, and radon in the south.
placeSouth Dakota
Radon in the east, West Nile in summer, and hard Plains winters.
placeVermont
Lyme ticks in green summers, little sun and deep cold in winter.
placeWashington
Smoky late summers, dark gray winters, and radon in the northeast.
placeWest Virginia
Lyme ticks moving in, and radon in the eastern hills.
placeWisconsin
Lyme ticks in every county, nitrate in some wells, and long dark winters.