During the winter months, we tend to not get outside as much due to the weather. When we do get outside, there isn’t much sun to soak up to boost our Vitamin D levels. And there’s a lot to love about Vitamin D and all of the benefits it offers your body. According to Medical News Today, it promotes healthy bones, reduces your risk of catching the flu, lowers your risk of diabetes, and improves overall health for babies and pregnant mamas. It also supports the immune system, brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.
Let’s all pause and think about how to get more vitamin D into your lives, right?
Well, it’s tricky. It’s tougher than you might think to take in ideal levels of this particular vitamin, which is created in the body primarily as a reaction to sun exposure. Most of us don’t spend that much time outside even when it’s not winter, and when we do, we might be protecting our skin by hanging out under an umbrella or a big hat. As a result of all of this, deficiencies in Vitamin D are actually pretty common.
We all want to take advantage of all of those great benefits, so here are five simple ways you can naturally boost your Vitamin D every day.
1. Get some sun. Sunlight is probably the best-known source of Vitamin D out there, and if your lifestyle allows for regular outdoor time, it really is a good way to start to boost your intake. According to the Vitamin D Council, you don’t need to get a tan or risk a sunburn in order to get the ideal amount of the vitamin in your system — which is a good thing! An Australian study cited by Harvard Medical School actually showed that there’s no real difference in Vitamin D absorption between people who use sunscreen and people who don’t, so you can soak in this vitamin even while using sun protection. Go ahead and lather up!
2. Drink it in. Try store-bought beverages or make your own with ingredients that are fortified with Vitamin D. Examples include orange juice, cow’s milk, yogurt based drinks. There are also dairy alternatives that do contain a Vitamin D boost. Califia Farms Unsweetned Übermilk, Good Karma Flaxmilk, Almond Breeze Almond Milk, and So Delicious Coconut Milk are just a few of the drinks that will help you get closer to that recommended Vitamin D intake . Try these DIY dairy-free milks, too!
3. Eat seafood. Per Healthline, fatty fish and seafood are among the richest natural food sources of Vitamin D. Even though it’s a stretch to get all of the Vitamin D your body needs through food, you can certainly chip away at it by including tuna, wild salmon, mackerel, oysters, and shrimp in your diet.
4. Add mushrooms to your meals. Mushrooms can also help you get closer to your recommended Vitamin D intake. Mushrooms can be added to almost any meal and are delicious on their own.
5. Consume more egg yolks. Like seafood and mushrooms, egg yolks are richer than other foods in Vitamin D. Sounds like another great way to get that good stuff in your system first thing in the morning!
All this aside, if you’re feeling like you need additional support getting your Vitamin D in, supplement with it! Especially in the winter months. Make sure you discuss with your doctor before adding anything new into your regimen.
