And while you might think that the best way to up your vitamin D levels if you’re running low is to get more sun, it’s not really that simple. While your skin certainly does produce vitamin D when exposed to the sun’s rays, just how much you get varies significantly based on factors like where you live, how much skin you expose, your skin tone, and more. (Not to mention that sunbathing sans sunscreen comes with potential risks.) The honest truth is that food can only do so much to help most people achieve truly optimal vitamin D status—a serum vitamin D [or 25(OH)D, level of 50 ng/ml or more] which requires 5,000 IU of the vitamin per day.* In fact, 100% of Americans over the age of 2 fail to consume even just 400 IU of vitamin D per day, per research published in The Journal of Nutrition3. When it comes to foods high in vitamin D4, fatty fishes lead the pack (or, erm, “lead the school”), offering more of the sunshine vitamin than most other foods out there. Serum total 25(OH)D is the form of vitamin D that circulates throughout the body, so it’s what your doctor measures when they perform a blood test to check your vitamin D status. As Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., R.D.N., mbg’s director of scientific affairs, explains: “25(OH)D is a biomarker that represents the totality of your vitamin D inputs from both D3 and D2 forms: from foods, beverages, sunshine, and supplements. It’s a number to know.” So, in addition to incorporating vitamin D foods into your diet, add a high-quality vitamin D supplement that provides 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 (which is the body’s preferred form) to your daily routine, suggests Ferira.* In fact, mindbodygreen created vitamin D3 potency+ because of this very need. In addition to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 (sourced from sustainable organic algae), it also provides a unique built-in trio of organic, virgin oils from avocado, flaxseed, and olives.* That way, you can take it any time of the day, with or without a meal, eliminating the need to rely on food altogether.
