What foods and drinks are good for Vitamin D? NHS explains

It regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body and helps keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

The NHS warns: "A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults."

How much vitamin D do I need?

Children from the age of one and adults need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day, according to the NHS.

Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.

The NHS adds: "From about late March/early April to the end of September, the majority of people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight on their skin.

"The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors."

Foods and drinks that are a good source of vitamin D

But between October and early March "we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight", the NHS adds.

🌞 Being outside in the sunlight helps our bodies to produce vitamin D, but here in the UK, the sun doesn't always come out to play, along side a varied and balanced diet, we can take vitamin D supplements in the winter months to keep it topped up

— Holland & Barrett (@holland_barrett) September 23, 2024

With that in mind there is a range of foods and drinks that are a good source of vitamin D, which can help you meet your 10mcg per day quota.

Foods

Vitamin D, according to the NHS, can be found in foods including:

• Oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
• Red meat
• Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)
• Egg yolks
• Fortified foods – such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals

Drinks

Vitamin D can also be found in various drinks, according to Holland and Barrett, including:

• Orange Juice
• Soya Milk
• Almond Milk

How much water should you drink daily?

The NHS added: "In the UK, cows' milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it is not fortified, as it is in some other countries."

Supplements

Another source of vitamin D is dietary supplements - for advice on these visit the NHS website.

The health experts said: "Government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter.

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"People at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D, all children aged 1 to 4, and all babies (unless they're having more than 500ml of infant formula a day) should take a daily supplement throughout the year."

However, the NHS warned taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia).

"This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart," the experts continued.