The clocks are going back this Sunday and these short days and long nights mean that your body will not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight. A nutritionist shares why and how to keep it up
The long nights are arriving soon, with the clocks going back this Sunday, 26th October. The short days means that vitamin D from sunlight alone is not sufficient enough for your body.
Between the months of April and September, sunlight usually provides enough vitamin D for most people. However, with daylight hours shortening, vitamin D levels become harder to maintain.
Registered Nutritionist and Recipe Development Manager, Lily Keeling from recipe box delivery service Green Chef shared advice on why it is so important to top up your vitamin D levels and how to do so. She added tips and hacks for which foods are best to have.
Why do we need vitamin D in our diet?
Lily explains that vitamin D is useful for our body in multiple ways: “Vitamin D is a key nutrient for maintaining healthy teeth, bones and muscles because it helps your body regulate and absorb calcium more effectively.”
She adds: “Those with a vitamin D deficiency might experience negative side effects such as muscle and bone aches and fatigue.”
In terms of how much vitamin D people need Lily says: “Most people need around 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day, but on average, we consume less than three micrograms. And during darker days, it’s especially important to consider ways of maintaining vitamin D levels in your diet when we’re exposed to less sunlight.”
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Which foods are rich in vitamin D?
Lily recommends to check the nutrient level of foods on their packaging and ingredients list, but she also highlights some of the highest vitamin D rich foods:
- Oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- Egg yolks
- Mushrooms
- Milk replacements, like soy and almond
Top tips to keep vitamin D levels up
Lily shares that the best ways to maintain vitamin D levels are through your diet and, “increasing your mushroom intake. Particularly paying close attention to Portobello, button and chestnut mushrooms that have been grown in the sunlight or under a UV lamp. You can usually find this information on the packaging.
She continues: “A portion of mushrooms between 80-100g can provide you with all your daily vitamin D needs. This amounts to one large Portobello mushroom, 11-14 button mushrooms, or just 4-5 chestnut mushrooms.”
Another way of increasing your vitamin D intake is, “by carefully choosing milk alternatives that have been fortified with vitamin D and calcium. Typically, in the UK cow’s milk is not fortified, so making this swap can help to increase your vitamin D levels with very little impact on your daily diet.”
These tips and tricks to top up your vitamin D levels are necessary during the cold season.
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