Vegetarian Foods to Treat Vitamin D Deficiency

Author: Priyanka Saxena on Jul 14,2020

Vegetarian Foods to Treat vitamin D Deficiency.

Why is vitamin D important?

1. Bone health.
2. Immune System.
3. Muscle function.
4. Nerve Function.

In many cases, vitamin D also plays a role in keeping you at bay from many deadly diseases like depression, heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.

Everyday vitamin D needs Children & adults between 1 and 70: 600 IU of vitamin D per day.

For vegans and vegetarians, in general, getting the required amount of vitamin D is challenging. Most vitamin D rich food comes from non-vegetarian sources like shellfish, egg yolks, and salmon.

Not only for vegetarians but for people in general, getting an adequate amount of vitamin D can be challenging. In fact, according to a study around 41.6% of the US population is vitamin D deficient.

Here are some symptoms of vitamin D deficiency:

• Weak bones
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Hair Loss
• Immune System Weakening.
• Slow healing of a wound.

Let’s talk about how vitamin D helps your body?

Vitamin D helps in the absorption of phosphorus and calcium from your food. Both calcium and phosphorus further help in keeping your bones healthy. This is the reason vitamin D deficient people suffer bones weakening.

Vitamin D deficiency also leads to the weakening of the immune system, which further can take you towards the risk of catching infections easily.

People with low levels of vitamin D may also suffer from depression. It also helps in the prevention of certain heart diseases.

Sunshine is said to be the best source of vitamin D. With summer at its peak, standing in the sun even for an hour is like a punishment. But, to keep your bones healthy and strong, doctors recommend enough vitamin D intake in your food.

If you are a non-vegetarian there can be plenty of sources of vitamin D including liver oil, shrimp, fatty fish, egg yolk, and oysters. However, for vegetarians, there are only a few Vitamin D-rich vegetarian foods. But, if you are on to them regularly, there is nothing to worry about.

In this article, we’ll talk about the easiest vegetarian sources of vitamin D. In case, you are suffering from extreme deficiency and are showing symptoms in extreme, you must consult a physician.

Let’s talk about some of the best vegetarian sources of vitamin D:

1. Milk

Dairy products are rich in calcium and vitamin D. In fact milk is often referred to as the best source of all kinds of nutrients and is a complete food. In addition to calcium and vitamin D, milk is also a rich source of protein, good carbs, and fat. You are lucky if you are not lactose intolerant — a BIG glass of milk every day will keep you healthy both physically and mentally. You must include dairy products in your diet to keep your bones healthy and to maintain a strong immune system.

2. Yogurt

Rich in vitamin D and calcium, yogurt is something you cannot do without during the summers For those who do not have any kind of allergies for dairy products, yogurt is a great source of vitamin D & calcium. Also, it is an amazingly rich source of protein and the calorie content is also quite low in yogurt as compared to cheese. During summers, it can add to the taste of your food — you can prepare yummy raita and can also have it in the form of sweet yummy lassi.

3. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are also a great source of vitamin D, which is also known as the sunshine vitamin. You can eat mushrooms in different ways including salads, stir-fries, soups, and stews. When exposed to UV light, mushrooms are said to synthesize vitamins. You can stuff mushrooms in vegetarian sandwiches and subs. In nutshell, vitamins if you are vitamin D deficient, consider adding mushrooms to your daily diet.

4. Cheese

Cheese is another dairy product, which is rich in vitamin D & calcium. It’s another addition to the dairy product, which is rich in important nutrients. In addition to calcium & vitamin D, cheese is also a rich source of good fats, which is essential for brain health & skin. But you just make sure that you are choosing only the right cheese to your diet including ricotta, Feta, and cottage cheese. If you are vitamin D deficient then, you must add cheese to your daily dose of diet.

When to go for vitamin D supplements?

If you feel that even after making important changes at your diet, your body does not have enough vitamin D, you must add that value with supplements. Supplements for vitamin D comes in 2 different forms.

Vitamin D2 is produced by exposing mushroom to UV rays or by harvesting it from yeast.

Vitamin D3 is produced by fish oil or sheep’s wool. However, the vegetarian form of the same is produced from lichen.