Here’s Exactly How To Get The Vitamin D Your Body Needs

One of the many nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy is vitamin D, aka the “sunshine vitamin.” It helps our bodies1 absorb calcium for bone health and strength and also plays a role in muscle function and our immune system.
But getting our daily dose isn’t as simple as just stepping outside every now and then. By some estimations, about one billion people2 worldwide actually don’t get enough (guidelines recommend that adults get at least 600 IU3 of vitamin D daily, and more if you’re over 70), and a deficiency could lead to things like bone pain and muscle weakness. Keep reading for three ways to reach and maintain adequate levels of vitamin D.
Advertisement

Sources:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/1
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/4
https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/usdandb/VitaminD-Content.pdf5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4143492/2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/6
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d--vitamin-d-deficiency
Advertisement

Krista Soriano is the Senior Branded Content Editor at mindbodygreen. She holds a B.A. in journalism with a minor in communications from Messiah College, graduating summa cum laude. She has written and edited lifestyle content for over 15 magazines and websites, including ELLE, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and DuJour. At mbg, Soriano helps our partners—which include non-profits and Fortune 500 companies—tell their stories, covering everything from the future of regenerative agriculture, ethical banking, and the endocannabinoid system. She lives in New York.