So you want to get more vitamin D in your diet – not just to avoid vitamin D deficiency, but also to empower your immune system and keep your bones strong. If you’re looking for new ways to get the vitamin D you need, here are a few foods you can add to your diet!

Salmon

Salmon is a great way to add more vitamin D to your diet. According to one recent study, fish consumption (including salmon) was proven to increase 25(OH)D levels (which is how vitamin D is measured in your blood). One important distinction to make is whether the salmon is wild or farmed, which makes a big difference in how much vitamin D you can get from the fish. One study found that farmed salmon only had 25 percent of vitamin D contained in wild salmon.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the few foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D, with most of the nutrients being concentrated in the yolk. While this grocery store staple is an easy way to boost your vitamin D levels, researchers have identified different factors that can affect how much vitamin D you can get from eggs.

For example, one study found that free-range chickens who were exposed to sunlight had three to four times more vitamin D in their eggs than chickens who lived indoors (14.3 micrograms of vitamin D per 100g of dry matter for free range hens, compared to 3.8 micrograms per 100g for indoor hens).

Mushrooms

These fungi can be a powerful source of vitamin D, especially when exposed to a source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation (like sunlight or a UV lamp). Mushrooms have the potential to be the only non-animal food without extra vitamin D added in (a process called fortification) that can still provide a substantial amount of vitamin D when eaten, according to researchers at Curtin University.

Beef Liver

Love it or hate it, beef liver is a great source of vitamin D. One 3.5 ounce serving of beef liver has 42 IU of vitamin D. Like many other organ meats, it also contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, as well as B-vitamins that aren’t often found in other foods.

Vitamin D-fortified food

Vitamin D-fortified foods cover a LOT of ground. Since naturally-occurring foods that are high in vitamin D are rare, fortification helps add this essential nutrient to common foods we eat every day (such as milk, eggs, and even orange juice!). Research suggests that supplementation and fortification together can help address low vitamin D levels in the general population.

While there are many dietary options for you to increase your daily intake of vitamin D, research also shows that it’s difficult to get the recommended amount from food alone. Sunlight and supplementation are two other ways that you can boost your vitamin D levels and reap the full benefits of this nutrient.

The only way to know your vitamin D level is to get tested – and now, you can test your vitamin D levels at home with empowerDX.

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Note: This is a brief overview of emerging evidence and should not be taken as treatment advice or treatment recommendations for any individual or specific medical condition. The strategies reviewed may not be appropriate for you. For any treatment advice or consideration we strongly suggest discussions with your personal healthcare professionals.