7 Ways To Get More Vitamin D In Your System

Vitamin D is a very important constituent in our body to lead healthy lives.

Here are seven ways you can boost the levels of Vitamin D in your body:

1. Let the sunlight in!

One of the best natural sources of vitamin D is the sun. The reason why this vitamin is also often referred to as ‘the sunshine vitamin’. However, the sun doesn’t magically create vitamin D in your body. Our skin is home to complex cholesterol that gets broken down when it is exposed to the UV-B radiation of the sun to take the form of vitamin D.

Though, not everyone’s body gains the same amount of vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. It depends upon various factors, like, the skin tone (people with lighter skin can produce more amount of vitamin D in the same time as darker skin people because of an enhanced presence of melanin, which facilitates vitamin D production), age, the place you reside in, the seasons, and the intensity of the sunlight you are exposed to.

2. Consume more seafood

The right diet is the key to maintaining a healthy life. If you follow a proper diet according to your diet planner, one that includes foods rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals, you will hardly find the need of taking any additional supplements. Generally, seafood is a great source of vitamin D.

Including fish like tuna, salmon and sardines will positively increase the levels of vitamin D in your body. You can also include other seafood like shrimp, oysters, and anchovies to boost your body’s vitamin D supply. Seafood is also a great source of protein and will also boost your protein levels. And of course, the taste is to die for! 😉

3. Include mushrooms in your diet

As of now, mushrooms are the only plant-based sources of Vitamin-D. So, if you are a vegan and do not consume meat, making mushrooms a regular part of your diet will help increase your vitamin D intake. Non-vegans, don’t get disheartened, you can still eat mushrooms to enhance the amount of vitamin D in your diet!

Just like us, mushrooms, too, can make Vitamin-D for themselves when they are exposed to sunlight. The only difference is that we create a type of vitamin D known as D3 or cholecalciferol. On the other hand, mushrooms create D2 or ergocalciferol.

4. Include egg yolks in your diet

Egg yolks are an extremely important source of Vitamin-D as across the globe, millions of people consume them at some point during their day. The amount of vitamin D you receive from an egg yolk depends on several factors like, what type of grain was the chicken fed? Was it poultry or homegrown? Etc.

Nevertheless, they are an amazing natural source and are also extremely easy to inculcate into your regular diet.

5. Increase your intake of fortified foods

As there are only a few naturally occurring foods that are rich sources of vitamin D, many staple food products, such as milk, have vitamin D artificially added to them through a process called fortification.

This helps more people to maintain vitamin D levels in their bodies without going through the trouble of inserting food items in their diet that they do not like and are often not easily available. Some of the commonly fortified food items are- cow’s milk, tofu and ready to eat cereals.

6. Consider a UV lamp

Not all places on earth receive the same amount of sunlight. If you live in a place where the intensity of the sun rays is quite low, you can get yourself a lamp that emits the sun’s UV-B radiation to boost your skin’s vitamin D content. Just like natural sunlight, these lamps will facilitate the breaking down of complex compounds in your skin to form vitamin D.

However, do not overexpose your skin to these lamps as they can cause skin-burns and do more harm than good. Limit your exposure to a maximum of 15 minutes. These types of lamps are different from the Himalayan salt lamps we’ve covered previously.

7. Take supplements

For many people, the vitamin D level in their bodies is so low that it cannot be recovered simply via natural foods. Also, for many, it is not possible to undertake the natural steps to boost vitamin D levels. For all these people, the best option is to take supplements for vitamin D.

Make sure that you consult your doctor before taking any supplements and only pick the prescribed supplements from a reputed medication firm. One of my favorite sites Pharmeasy offers great discounts on medicines.

Parting Words

These were some really easy hacks to make sure your body doesn’t fall prey to the negative impacts of Vitamin D deficiency. If your condition refuses to get back on track, despite following these hacks – consult your doctor for the best suggestions!