3 Vitamin D-Rich Foods You Can Eat Every Day For Stronger Bones
August 8, 2022 by Louise Ferrer
As you get older, it’s really an important habit to keep your overall health in check. Staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly are all essential to a healthy lifestyle. Obviously, eating nutritious meals also matters greatly because it can affect how your body functions.
One health concern you might have as you age is getting stronger bones. And while we all know that Calcium is the key for this, it helps to understand that vitamin D also plays a huge role in bone health. According to the Harvard Medical School, “Without this ‘sunshine vitamin,’ the body can’t absorb the calcium it ingests, so it steals calcium from bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Vitamin D also helps maintain normal blood levels of phosphorus, another bone-building mineral.”
With that in mind, how exactly can you incorporate vitamin D in your diet? We asked nutritionist and registered dietitian, Carrie Gabriel, MS, RDN, of Steps 2 Nutrition to find out. Keep reading as she shares the importance of vitamin D, and the common foods where it can be found.
What is vitamin D and what does it do to our body?According to Gabriel, “Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, fortified to others, and also available as a dietary supplement.” She adds, “Vitamin D helps the body absorb and retain the critical bone building minerals calcium and phosphorus.” Aside from this, she shares that “it is also known for helping control infections and inflammation.”
“[Vitamin D] is also produced internally in our bodies when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight hit our skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis,” she tells us.