Where do I get Vitamin D?

So you are wondering, if vitamin D is so important, where can I get it from? Food? The sun? Supplements? Let’s have a look at various sources of vitamin D:

The sun

The sun is the most obvious way to get and make vitamin D ourselves; it is called the sunshine vitamin for a reason! We all have vitamin D receptors in our skin, that when exposed to UVB light from the sun make vitamin D. How amazing is that?! Great for those who live at the equator, but for the rest of us who live in Canada, our sun exposure is limited to less than half the year. 

In order to make enough vitamin D throughout the summer months, it’s best to be outside between 12-2pm without sunscreen (be sure to not burn!) for 10-20 minutes daily. This is the best time to absorb and make vitamin D from the sun.

Food

Then there is food. 

• Oily fish

• Fortified foods (soy milks, tofu, cereals, etc)

• Some mushrooms

That is pretty much it! Aside from red meat, and organ meats, which also contain vitamin D (I do not recommend eating these foods as organ meats can store heavy metals and red meat is a group 2A carcinogen - meaning it probably causes cancer), these are the only foods you can find vitamin D in. 

supplementation

There are so many vitamin D supplements out there. Here are a few of my favourites!

Vegan Vitamin D: made from algae 

• AOR liquid D3

• Garden of Life Vitamin D

Non-vegan Vitamin D: most people don’t know, vitamin D is made from lanolin (sheep’s wool)

• Cytomatrix D3

• Emulsi D3 +K2

I always recommend liquid vitamin D for a few reasons. It is much easier to take, especially if you are taking more than 1000IUs daily and it is usually emulsified in a liquid fat (MCT oil commonly) which means it absorbs much better than the capsules (which are not stored in a fat). Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin meaning it needs some fat in order to be properly absorbed into the body. 

How much vitamin D should you take?

This will depend on where you live, your vitamin D status (can be checked through a blood test) and what your doctor recommends. 

So, what are you waiting for? Vitamin D is helpful for so many bodily processes, it’s a no brainer to start supplementing.
Please see your doctor in order to decide the best dose for you!