Common Source of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a vitamin that has many uses. This is known to regulate the calcium and phosphorous in the blood. This is very important in the body. That is why common foods are promoted to be taken everyday. The average need for most is about 200 IU per day, 400 IU per day for 50 years old until 70 years old. Those over 70 should have about 500 IU per day.

vitamin d dairy foods
One of the most common is the fish liver oil that can already fulfill more than the daily required limit of the body. Take for example a tablespoon of this which already contains 1,360 IU. Just a trivia, during the 1920s children are treated for rickets with only a tablespoon a day of this.

Another source is the fatty fishes. These foods are commonly prepared in many restaurants and are available in the fish markets. Imagine a food choice of a small, oily fish called herring. A cooked, 100 g serving of this fish can already account for 100 per cent of the daily require limit of Vitamin D. Sometimes herrings are used for sushi, however, these are raw. Another important choice is a catfish, wherein 425 IU is already provided with only 85 g of preparation.

Salmon with only 100 g preparation can provide 360 IU which means about 90 per cent of the daily requirement. Eel which is another sea food can account for 200 IU which is 50 per cent of the daily dose and this is only for a 100 g preparation. If you are wondering why fishes can provide Vitamin D, this is mainly because they feed on sun exposed algae. These algae are actually the main diet of most fishes which contributes to their level of Vitamin D.

Dairy products are also one of the best sources of this vitamin. Butter, yogurt and margarine are among such sources. This is basically because of the amount of milk present in these products. Milk is the leading source of Vitamin D in children. Thus, in some countries milks are fortified with this vitamin for added amount. There are usually 100 IU in a glass of fortified milk. Now, this is already half of the daily requirement.

Milk has Vitamin D because this is developed from the skin of the poultry animals that produced the milk. However, this is just one source. Manufacturers have developed a synthesized Vitamin D (D3) to be added commercially. A quart of milk can actually produce about 400 IU, which is already 200 per cent of the daily requirement but is just enough for those over 50 but under 70 years old.

Still the best source of vitamin D is the natural sunlight. There are many places in the world where sunlight is not enough to produce Vitamin D in the skin. There are also some places where there are months when the sunlight is just enough but on other months are totally insufficient. This is why supplementary pills are needed in some places.