Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
At least 80 dead, 11 girls from camp still missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Chantal moving inland after making landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

89°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

89°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

Why you need Vitamin D this time of year and 10 foods that are full of it

Published Mar 7, 2017 10:49 PM EDT | Updated Jul 5, 2019 5:11 AM EDT

Copied
salmon

Getting your vitamin D through food is a more consistent and reliable solution that also avoids the risk of sunburn or skin cancer. (Photo/Shutterstock)

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that as many as 30 million Americans suffer from a vitamin D deficiency, making it the most common nutrient deficiency in the country. There is no absolute consensus among medical professionals as to the exact amount of daily vitamin D required, but the Mayo Clinic uses the bench mark of 600 international units (IU). Related to Vitamin

But how do we get all of this vitamin D, and why is it so important to our overall health?

The body derives most of the vitamin D it needs from sunlight (good old ultraviolet B rays), but food and supplements are also common sources. Regardless of how you get your vitamin D — whether from an afternoon on the beach, a bowl of mushrooms, or a pill — the body needs to convert it into a useable substance called 25(OH)D.

RELATED:

You don't really need to be taking these vitamins
3 nutrients that help you sleep better
8 common nutrient deficiencies and surprising signs that you're affected

After vitamin D is processed, the chemical is dispersed throughout the body, where it is “activated,” and able to perform its two main functions: managing calcium in the blood, bones, and gut; and assisting with intercellular communication. Within these two broad categories, vitamin D serves many other functions. It helps the body absorb calcium, promotes bone growth, helps fight depression, encourages weight loss, and reduces the risk of multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and the flu.

In the winter months, however, sunlight can be unreliable, with the time of day and your geographical location dramatically impacting the amount of vitamin D the body can manufacture. Getting your vitamin D through food is a more consistent and reliable solution that also avoids the risk of sunburn or skin cancer. Eating foods naturally rich in vitamin D — like certain fish and mushrooms — or foods fortified with vitamin D — such as tofu, milk, or orange juice — is an easy way to incorporate this crucial vitamin into your diet.

Here are 10 foods that are full of vitamin D.

Canned Tuna

vitamin d

(Photo/Shutterstock)

Buying and preparing fresh fish can be expensive and time consuming (not to mention it makes your whole kitchen smell like the supermarket seafood counter). Canned tuna is affordable and easy to use, has a year-long shelf life, and contains 236 IU of vitamin D (more than half the daily requirement) in a single three and a half-ounce can. Whether it’s served in a tuna melt or as part of a tuna-avocado salad, canned tuna may be the solution to your lack of vitamin D.

Eggnog

Eggnog

(Photo/Shutterstock)

The winter holidays may be several months away, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that a glass of eggnog contains 25 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. Eggnog contains eggs and fortified dairy, both of which are sources of vitamin D. It may not be a wise habit to fortify your diet with this overly-sweet (and often boozy) beverage, but eggnog’s vitamin D content is still a fun fact to mention at future holiday parties.

Partner Module Enhancement
Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

Rescue operations underway after deadly Texas flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

What led to the deadly flooding in central Texas?

Jul. 6, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

At least 80 dead in Texas, 11 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

2 hours ago

Hurricane

Chantal moving farther inland after making landfall in South Carolina

4 hours ago

Weather News

Severe weather to storm through Plains, Upper Midwest this week

4 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

2 days ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

4 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

2 days ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

2 days ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

5 days ago

Weather News

France leads Europe in saying au revoir to beach and park smoking

3 days ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

3 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News Why you need Vitamin D this time of year and 10 foods that are full of it
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...