Diet is not a major source of vitamin D. Perfectly reasonably and well balanced diet may not supply the amount required to prevent deficiency.
Only a few food sources naturally contain appreciable sources of vitamin D3 that have an impact on dietary intake: fish, fish liver, fish liver oil, fatty fish, mushroom, egg yolks and beef liver.
Cod liver oil is the best source of vitamin D. Salmon contains a fair amount of vitamin D; 3 ounces of salmon had about 800 IU of vitamin D. Fatty fish represents the richest natural sources of vitamin D commonly consumed in North America.
Vitamin D is also presents in small quantities in vegetables, meat and egg yolk. Mushrooms are the only vegan source of vitamin D. This form is vitamin D2.
The main food sources are those to which crystalline vitamin D has been added. Milk, because it is commonly used, has proved to be the most practical carrier. Milk, whether nonfat, reduced fat, or whole, provides about 100 IU of vitamin D per ounce glass, and that’s after it has been fortified with vitamin D.
The most efficient source of the vitamin is not a food at all, but exposure to sunlight, which transforms a related pro-vitamin substance in the skin into a substance which the kidney can change into active vitamin D.
The sun is the major source of vitamin D. Sunlight, in the form of ultraviolet-B radiation, providing 90-100% of the requirement for most of the people who are exposed to adequate sunlight.
Vitamin D natural sources
