How to Get Vitamin D Without Sunlight

Vermonters live in one of the cloudiest places in the country, with only 58 clear days per year on average (tied with rainy Seattle for the fewest clear days). This sunshine shortage can affect our mental health, and it also limits an important source of vitamin D — a nutrient necessary for good physical health.

Our bodies make vitamin D when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays in sunlight. Spending time outside in direct sunlight is a great way to prevent vitamin D deficiency. However, because Vermonters are often sun-challenged, we need other means of getting vitamin D to keep our bodies healthy. In this article, we’ll identify the ways you can obtain vitamin D without sunlight.

Why is Vitamin D Important?

Vitamin D enables us to absorb calcium, which is used to build and maintain healthy bones. Without enough vitamin D, bones can become thin and brittle, leading to osteoporosis and increased risk of bone fractures. Vitamin D also has several other functions in the body, including reducing inflammation and helping to control infections.
It’s estimated that about 40 percent of U.S. adults don’t get enough vitamin D. Signs of symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:

• Fatigue
• Bone pain and fractures
• Weakness in muscles
• Muscle aches, cramps, or spasms

Fortunately, your body is capable of supplying itself with vitamin D, under the right conditions. When you’re outside in the sunshine, a chemical in your skin is transformed into vitamin D3. It then travels to your liver and kidneys to be further processed into the active form of vitamin D that your body can use.

If you don’t get enough sunshine, either because of cloudy weather or being inside too much, your body can fail to generate enough vitamin D. That’s when you need to supplement your vitamin D intake through other means. 

Foods with Vitamin D

One of the other ways you can get vitamin D is to eat foods that contain it. Foods that are naturally rich in vitamin D include:

• Fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and rainbow trout
• Beef liver
• Mushrooms grown in ultraviolet light
• Egg yolks
• Cod liver oil

To increase your vitamin D intake through natural food sources, you can eat fatty fish more often (twice a week is recommended), add eggs and mushrooms to your diet, or take a spoonful of cod liver oil each day.  
If a daily dose of cod liver oil doesn’t sound appealing, you can also get it by consuming foods that have been fortified with vitamin D, such as: 

• Cow’s milk
• Soy, almond, and oat milks
• Breakfast cereals
• Orange juice
• Yogurt and other dairy products

To find out how much vitamin D has been added to a food, check out the nutritional facts label on the packaging.

Vitamin D Supplements

It can be difficult to get all the vitamin D you need through your diet, so taking a vitamin D supplement is another option.

The recommended daily amount of vitamin D for children one year old or older and most adults is 15 micrograms (mcg) or 600 international units (IU). For people 70 years or older, it’s 20 mcg or 800 IU. 

Too much vitamin D can be harmful, so you should not take more than 100 mcg or 4,000 IU per day. Vitamin D can interact with some prescription medications, including certain blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart drugs. If you are taking prescription drugs, check with your doctor before adding a vitamin D supplement to your regimen. 

You may see supplements on the market with two different forms of vitamin D. They are:

• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), made from plant sources
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), usually made from animal sources

The D3 form is considered more effective at increasing vitamin D levels in the blood. However, if you don’t consume animal products, the D2 form is an alternative. You may also see “vegan vitamin D3” supplements, which are made from lichen. If the form of vitamin D is important to you, be sure to check the supplement’s label for more information.

You can also boost your vitamin D level by taking a multi-vitamin supplement. These are usually formulated with enough vitamin D to meet the recommended daily amount, but they often have less than a standalone vitamin D supplement.

To prevent osteoporosis and other bone problems, along with sufficient vitamin D levels, you should also be getting enough calcium in your diet.

Protect Your Bones

We hope you’ll take steps to safeguard your health and protect your bones by getting enough vitamin D every day. It’s easy to do by eating certain foods and/or taking a supplement. And if you happen see the sun, be sure to get outside to make yourself some extra vitamin D. Just don’t overdo it, as we don’t want you to get sunburned!