Vitamin D-Licious
Skip the sun's UV rays and get your day's supply of vitamin D
through your diet
"I'm getting my vitamin D!" my friends and I used to joke as we
headed outside for a few hours, an excuse to bask in the sunlight
that broke up our midwinter chills.
We weren't, really: Except in the southernmost part of the
country-imagine a line that goes from Atlanta to San Diego-the
winter sun doesn't rise high enough for the necessary
ultraviolet-B, or UVB, rays to penetrate the atmosphere. Meanwhile,
our unabashed sun worship was putting us at risk for skin
cancer.
But a vitamin D deficiency could put us at risk for other
things-osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and other
cancers, to name a few. And three-quarters of Americans are
deficient in vitamin D, according to a 2009 article in the Archives
of Internal Medicine.
To get the National Institutes of Health's recommended dietary
allowance of vitamin D-600 international units (IU), increased from
400 IU in 2011-you could pinch your nose and gulp down 1½ teaspoons
of cod liver oil. Thankfully, much happier alternatives are at your
disposal:
Fortify Your Life
Few foods are naturally high in vitamin D (see below), so
include fortified foods and beverages as an effective way to make
sure your family gets enough of this important nutrient. The three
most common fortified sources are often found at the breakfast
table.
Milk
The body needs vitamin D to metabolize calcium and build strong
bones, so in the 1930s the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved fortifying milk with vitamin D in an effort to stave off
rickets, a softening of the bones. The move effectively wiped out
the disease, and vitamin D has been a staple addition ever since.
Because D is a fat-soluble vitamin, you'll find slightly more per
cup in whole milk (124 IU, on average) than 1% (120 IU) or nonfat
(115 IU).
Cereals
You can almost double your D by pouring milk atop a fortified
breakfast cereal. Some provide up to an additional 100 IU per 1-cup
serving, but it's more common to find cereals that offer in the
range of 40 IU per serving.
Orange Juice
Manufacturers began tinkering with adding vitamin D to orange
juice in the late 1980s- a surprising find, given OJ's low-fat
content-and the first national brand of fortified juice was
introduced in 2002. A 1-cup serving of most brands of fortified
juice provides around 140 IU of vitamin D.
The Natural Way
Foods that are naturally high in vitamin D are rare but worth
diving into. U.S. government regulations cap the added amount of
vitamin D at 100 IU perserving, while some fishes offer up to eight
times that amount naturally. Here are some of the highest-D foods
around.
Salmon
Salmon usually tops the chart of D-licious fishes-a 6-ounce
sockeye fillet contains nearly 900 IU of vitamin D. Using canned
salmon for dishes such as salmon patties? The soft, edible pin
bones add even more vitamin D, bringing the 6-ounce total to 930
IU.
Other Fishes
Farther down the fish list, 6 ounces of light tuna canned in
oil, drained, offers about 460 IU, while a similarsized fillet of
Atlantic or Pacific halibut offers 367 IU. Add 6 ounces of sardines
to a pasta sauce to bolster its vitamin D content by nearly 330
IU.
Eggs
Some egg-cellent news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: A
2010 study by its Agricultural Research Service discovered that
eggs deliver more vitamin D-up to 44 IU per large egg-than
previously believed. (And for those watching their blood pressure,
the study also found that eggs were nearly 15 percent lower in
cholesterol than thought.)
-By Sam Mittelsteadt