Up Your D Intake

If you're like most Americans, you need more vitamin D.

According to a recent report from the Institute of Medicine, most people need 400-800 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day - yet 7 out of 10 Americans fall short of the vitamin D they need in their diets.

Undeniably, the sun is an ideal way to get vitamin D. But sunscreen, while important to use, blocks those beneficial rays and we tend to make little vitamin D during the winter months - especially people living in the northern half of the United States. Since you can't always count on the sun, it's even more important to look to your diet for your D.

Foods are the preferred source of vitamins and minerals because they bring more than just one nutrient into the diet. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. The highest amounts are found in cod liver oil and fatty fish, such as canned salmon and sardines.

Need ideas to get more liquid sunshine into your diet? Check out our library of recipes for delicious and nutritious ways to include milk.