Foods, including certain fish, egg yolks, and mushrooms, contain vitamin D. Changing your diet may help reduce or prevent vitamin D deficiency.

The daily value (DV) for vitamin D is 600-800 IU (15-20 mcg)Trusted Source for adults over 19 years of age.

The vitamin D content is listed as a percentage of the DV on the nutrition facts labelTrusted Source on food packages. This tells you what amount of your daily vitamin D requirement the food will provide.

5-30 minutesTrusted Source of sunlight twice a week usually leads to enough vitamin D. However, to minimize skin cancer risk, it’s best to get vitamin D from food or supplements.

One 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of farmed Atlantic salmon contains 441 IU of vitamin DTrusted Source or 55% of the DV. On average, wild-caught salmon has more vitamin D than farmed salmon.

Vitamin D content can also vary depending on where the salmon is caught. One 2019 studyTrusted Source found that salmon caught in the Baltic Sea provided 556–924 IU of vitamin D per one 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving, 70–116% of the DV.

Other types of fatty fish are also good vitamin D sources. HalibutTrusted Source and mackerelTrusted Source provide 190 IU and 643 IU per 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving, respectively.

Fresh Atlantic herringTrusted Source provides 167 IU per 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving, which is around 20% of the DV.

Pickled herringTrusted Source is also a good source of vitamin D, providing 113 IU per 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving, or 14% of the DV. However, pickled herring also contains a high amount of sodium, at 870 mg per serving, so it may not be a great option if you are trying to lower your salt intake.

Canned sardines are a good source of vitamin D as well. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving provides 193 IUTrusted Source or 24% of the DV.

If you don’t like fish, taking cod liver oil is another way to get vitamin D into your diet.

At about 450 IU per teaspoonTrusted Source (4.9 mL), cod liver oil has 56% of the DV.

Canned tuna is typically cheaper than fresh fish and can be kept for longer. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of canned light tunaTrusted Source contains 269 IU of vitamin D, which is 34% of the DV.

However, tuna also contains mercury, a heavy metal found in many types of fish. Mercury can build up in the body over time and, in some cases, lead to serious health concerns.

The amount of mercury in canned tuna depends on the type of tuna. Light canned tuna comes from smaller fish and is lower in mercuryTrusted Source, so it is OK to eat in moderation.

Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals should limit their seafood intake to 8 to 12 ozTrusted Source of fish that are lower in mercury per week.

Tuna salad

Try this tuna salad with cranberries that uses canned tuna.

The yolk from one large egg (50 g) contains 41 IU of vitamin DTrusted Source, or 5% of the DV.

Adding more vitamin D to the feed of the hens, exposing the hens to UVB light, and exposing egg yolk directly to UVB can increase vitamin D in the egg.

Choosing eggs from chickens raised outside or marketed as high in vitamin D can be a great way to meet your daily requirements.

Besides fortified foods, mushrooms are the only sufficient non-animal source of vitamin D.

Like humans, mushrooms can synthesize vitamin D when exposed to UV light. However, mushrooms produce vitamin D2, whereas animals produce vitamin D3. Though vitamin D2 helps raise blood levels of vitamin D, it may not be as effective as vitamin D3.

Some wild mushrooms are excellent sources of vitamin D2 due to their exposure to UV light. Morels are a type of mushroom that grows in the wild. One cup of these mushrooms contains 136 IU of vitamin DTrusted Source, which is 17% of the DV.

Many commercially grown mushrooms are grown in the dark and contain very little D2. However, some mushrooms are treated with ultraviolet (UV) light to boost their vitamin D content. One cup of cremini mushrooms exposed to UV light contains 1100 IU of vitamin DTrusted Source, which is 139% of the DV.

Some food products that don’t naturally contain vitamin D are fortified with this nutrient.

Cow’s milk

In several countries, cow’s milk is fortified with vitamin D. In the United States, 1 cup of fortified 2% fat cow’s milkTrusted Source contains 111 IU of vitamin D, or about 14% of the DV.

Soy milk

Plant-based milk substitutes such as soy milk are often fortified with vitamin D, along with other nutrients usually found in cow’s milk.

One cup of sweetened plain soy milk contains 185 IU per 100 gTrusted Source, or around 23% of the DV.

Orange juice

One cup (249 g) of fortified orange juiceTrusted Source contains around 100 IU of vitamin D, or 12% of the DV.

Orange juices can be high in added sugar. Try to opt for juices that use less sugar if possible.

Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption in your body. This plays a key role in maintaining bone strength and skeletal integrity.

Getting enough of vitamin D and calcium is crucial to maintaining bone health and protecting against disorders like osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak, brittle bones.

  • Children ages 4–8: 1,000 mg
  • Children ages 9–18: 1,300 mg
  • Adults ages 19–50: 1,000 mg
  • Adults over 50: 1,200 mg

Although our bodies can make vitamin D from UV light from the sun, it is not the best way to meet your needs. Because of this, food sources of vitamin D or vitamin D supplements are typically the safest way to consistently and safely meet your vitamin D needs.

Some foods that contain vitamin D include fish, eggs, mushrooms, and foods fortified with vitamin D.