Vitamin D is the ultimate regulator. It regulates calcium metabolism, immune function, reduces inflammation and protects against cancer. Vitamin D has always been referred to as a nutrient that your body absorbs when you spend more time in the sun or outdoors. Most medical practitioners agree that Vitamin D behaves more like a steroid hormone instead of your usual vitamin. What we consume in food or supplements and spending ample time under the sun is not Vitamin D yet but Vitamin D3. Our body then converts it to Calcitriol which is the active form of Vitamin D. It goes through our body building bones and muscles, making proteins or enzymes that prevent diseases. Nearly every cell in our body has Vitamin D. Receptors that respond to the vitamin has been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones.
But the modern day lifestyle is largely sedentary. You hardly get time to spend outdoors unless your work demands you to be out of office. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that you must consume every day as it allows your body to absorb calcium and helps bone growth. Here we highlight 7 foods rich in D that you must include in your diet:
Orange
A glass of orange juice contains more Vitamin D compared to the same amount of milk. If you’ve developed the habit of drinking orange on a daily basis or include them in your fruit salad, then you’re doing better than most. Careful not to depend too much on canned orange available in groceries. They are usually loaded with too much sugar. Better to stick with the basic orange squeeze without the unnecessary sugar to really get the nutrient you want.
Tuna or Salmon
I personally love Tuna sandwiches. Including tuna, in your sandwich, every day fulfills about a quarter of the required amount of this special nutrient. Fish is known to be among the healthiest foods on the planet. Most especially the fatty kind like Tuna or even Salmon. The oils say about one tablespoon, they produce provides more than 200% of the recommended intake.
Mushrooms
You can prepare a variety of delectable dishes using mushrooms. Some of my favourite salad often have mushrooms in them. They are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and very low in sodium.
Cereal
Cereals are fortified with vitamin D although you must check the ingredients mentioned in the packet as you might not get them in certain cereals. When you add milk to it, it becomes even richer with this nutrient.
Eggs
Not everybody knows that eggs contain Vitamin D. Including eggs in your diet can pretty much meet the daily requirement of this nutrient that your body needs. Much like a mushroom, eggs are staple food everywhere. There are so many dishes and recipes you can enjoy eating.
Tofu
Though pork ribs are rich in vitamin D, the downside is that you have to be careful about the fat content which is usually higher than the other varieties. This makes tofu the better option not only because it contains large amounts of Vitamin D, but also because of the convenience of eating them. You can freely down them raw without adding to your pounds.
Ricotta cheese
This has more amount of this nutrient compared to other types of cheese. You can eat this variety of cheese in salads or cook them along with other ingredients in order to obtain the recommended dose of vitamin D that your body needs daily.
