Certain foods can make all the difference to your wellbeing, especially with regard to vitamin D, and can help you build strong bones and fight off cancer. Most adults need about 2000 IU of vitamin D each day, and though some people rush to the supplement aisle to get their vitamin fill, you can actually get the right levels of vitamin D by adding the right foods to your daily diet.
Firstly, whether you boil or poach it, or get it from a can, salmon is delicious for lunch or dinner and, with the bone, contains up 685 IU of vitamin D or more, depending on the serving size. Another fishy friend to make is raw halibut, which contains about 645 IU of vitamin D and is one of the most versatile fish to cook. You can broil, bake, grill, poach, sauté and fry halibut until your heart’s content, but, frying it may not actually be that great for your heart, or your waistline, so maybe stick to the other options. If neither of these take your fancy, other vitamin-D rich fish include tuna, cod and sole.
If you’re looking for something a little classier, caviar is a top choice for a vitamin D-rich hors d’oeuvre as both black and red caviar contains 184 IU of this essential vitamin. However, if that’s a little rich for your budget, eggs are as cheaper than the chips you eat them with and contain about one-tenth of your daily dose of vitamin D. Whether at breakfast, lunch or dinner, hard-boiled or poach your eggs or fry them in a yummy omelette with green peppers, onions and broccoli.
If you’re making a pasta dish, throw on a little ricotta cheese as it contains 25 IU of vitamin D per serving. If you also chuck in a few white mushrooms, you can also boost your vitamin D by 162 IU of Vitamin D. For you carnivores, you can get 88 IU of vitamin D from just three ounces of pork, but for those of you of a veggier persuasion, you can also get vitamin D from fortified milk, soy milk and cereals.