Tips for boosting your winter vitamin D levels and overall health

Vitamin D is often called the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because it’s produced by our bodies when skin is exposed to sunlight. Thanks to limited winter daylight hours in the northeast, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels can be challenging and have very real consequences on our health.

Here are just a few of the ways vitamin D levels can impact your physical and mental health:

Bone Health: Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and bone mineralization. Without it, our bodies can absorb only 10 to 15% of the calcium we consume, which can cause our bones to become thin, brittle, or misshapen, leading to conditions like osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children.

Immune Function: Vitamin D helps modulate immune function, potentially reducing the risk of infections.

Chronic Disease Prevention: Adequate vitamin D levels may help reduce the risk of various chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Mental Health: Vitamin D is involved in brain development and deficiencies and can contribute to mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, irritability, and feelings of sadness.

Sleep Quality: Adequate vitamin D levels are associated with better sleep quality and regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Fatigue and daytime sleepiness can be symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.

The easiest way to combat low vitamin D levels is by taking a supplement. Current guidelines recommend taking 400-800 international units (IU) or 10–20 micrograms (mcg). However, your doctor may recommend taking more or less based on your age, skin color, current blood vitamin D levels, sun exposure, and more.

You can also boost your vitamin D intake by eating foods with high vitamin-D levels. These include:

• Wild-raised salmon and oily fish

• Egg yolks

• Fortified milk and breakfast cereals

• Cod liver oil

• UV-exposed mushrooms

• Vitamin-D-fortified cow, soy, and oat milk

• Vitamin-D-fortified ready-to-eat cereals

When possible, spend time outdoors during daylight hours. Wearing sunscreen (as you should) will not impact your body's ability to produce vitamin D. 

In severe cases of deficiency, light therapy may be recommended.

By being proactive about vitamin D intake, you can help optimal levels of this crucial nutrient and support your overall health now and throughout the year.

Kristin Irace, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian in in-patient, renal dialysis, oncology, and cardiac rehab services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.