Your diet might be missing this essential nutrient
Vitamin D is one of the most essential micronutrients our body needs. When trying to eat a well rounded diet, it can sometimes seem overwhelming to figure out how to give your body everything it needs. Luckily, this nutrient is one of the easiest to get add to your diet.
First, let’s look at the benefits that vitamin D provides:
- It can promote fat loss (1)
- Strengthens bones (2)
- It can reduce depression (3)
- Improves general health and can prevent disease (4)
You have likely heard before that you can get vitamin D through sunlight. While this is true, it is worth noting that it does not take everyone the same amount of time to absorb vitamin D from the sun. While a light skinned person may get their daily dose of vitamin D from as little as 15 minutes of direct sunlight, it may take someone with darker skin as long as a couple of hours.
For many people, it is worth considering getting this nutrient through their diet. A healthy adult should aim for 600 UI of vitamin D a day. Here are a few food that make it easy to hit that number:
- Salmon (500–1000 UI per 3.5 ounce serving)
- Canned Tuna (250 UI)
- Fortified Milk (up to 150 UI per cup)
- Fortified Orange Juice (up to 100 UI per cup)
There are plenty of foods besides those on this list, but this is a good jumping off point with an option for vegetarians, pescatarians, and vegans! Of course, there are also countless affordable vitamin D supplement options on the market.
With all of the ways to get this nutrient, and the numerous benefits, there is no reason not to add it to your diet today!
