Yes, You Get Enough Vitamin D from a Healthy Diet

The sun is shining. It’s finally finally warm enough to show a little skin and chill outside. If you live in a climate where seasons are a thing, you’ve been waiting for this moment all winter long. If you’re in LA like us, well, the sun is (almost) always shining and the temperature is (almost) always a steady 65 degrees so it’s less of a big deal. We digress. When it’s warm and sunny, we know it’s oh-so-tempting to shed the layers, sprawl out across a chaise lounge and soak in as much of that glorious glowing fireball as possible.

We’ll just go ahead and stop you right there. You already get enough vitamin D.

Healthy, balanced diets are packed with vitamin D. So, chances are your intake is pretty well set for the day. That means, we’re sorry to say it, you don’t really need that so-called “much-needed” vitamin D aka the glorious glowing fireball that causes skin cancer and wrinkles.

Fatty fish like tuna and salmon, pork, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, whole milk, yogurt, almond milk and more are all naturally rich in vitamin D. We’d be super surprised if there wasn’t something on this list that you didn’t eat or drink. We also want to take this moment to point out that if you’re not eating or drinking some of these things, now’s a great time to start.

We’ve been told since the beginning of time that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s always been met with some skepticism, but it’s also probably not wrong considering you can eat and drink your daily dose of vitamin D and calcium, both critical for strong bones, in cereal, milk and orange juice fortified with vitamin D.

If you think your vitamin D intake is low (called low-D), soaking in the sun isn’t the healthiest solution given its damaging skin effects. Supplements, on the other hand, could be a good alternative for you. There are two kinds of vitamin D supplements: D₂ – the type found in foods and D₃ – the type made from sunlight. D₃ is recommended for some people to help them improve absorption of natural vitamin D. You should always talk with a doctor or dermatologist before including it in your regimen.

Yes, the sun feels nice. And double yes, you need vitamin D in your life. What you don’t need, or want, is skin cancer or wrinkles. So, eat a healthy diet to get your daily D and slather on the sunscreen to keep your skin safe.