Vitamin D – how to get it

Vitamin D is produced naturally by the body’s skin through direct exposure to mid-day sun daily for as less as 10 minutes in fair-skinned individuals and about 20 minutes in others.

But if sun exposure is not possible on a daily basis, you should get it via certain foods. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that vitamin D be obtained from all the three sources (sunlight, natural foods, fortified foods) as below:

• salmon
• sardines
• egg yolk
• shrimp
• milk (fortified)
• cereal (fortified)
• yogurt (fortified)
• orange juice (fortified)

If blood levels of vitamin D are low, taking supplements helps; but make sure overdosing does not happen leading to dangerous levels.