One piece of advice consistently heard from medical professionals throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of getting enough vitamin D. The FDA recognized both the importance of vitamin D and the tendency for Americans to be deficient and added it to the new Nutrition Facts label.
Vitamin D plays a preventative role in several conditions, including osteoporosis, diabetes, some cancers, and heart disease. Did you know vitamin D is not a vitamin but is a hormone the body synthesizes after sun exposure? In the winter months, it’s challenging to get enough sunlight to reach the FDA vitamin D daily value of 20 micrograms (mcg). Fortunately, we can get vitamin D in our diet, although the list of foods is limited.
Foods that provide vitamin D include:
- Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring, tuna
- Cod liver oil
- Beef liver
- Egg yolks
- Fortified foods, such as cereal, milk, and orange juice
