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Vitamin D
How can I get all the Vitamin D that I need?
Milk is an excellent source of vitamin D, as are fatty fish like salmon or tuna. To get enough vitamin D, drink milk or eat fatty fish every day. Those unable to meet their needs through diet should take a vitamin D supplement.
Ideas for Action:
- Children and adults up to age 50 need 200 IU of vitamin D each day. To meet these needs, drink at least 2 cups (500 mL) of milk each day, or eat a serving of salmon, tuna or sardines. Adults aged 51-70 need twice as much.
- Try cooking with milk. Use milk as a base for
soups, sauces and puddings. Cooking with milk is
a nutritious way to add variety to the diet. Cooking
does not change the vitamin D content of milk.
- Use a vitamin D supplement when you can't get enough from your diet.
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Did You Know?
- Vitamin D is needed to help our bodies absorb calcium from foods. Because of this, vitamin D plays an important role in keeping bones healthy and strong, thereby helping to prevent osteoporosis.
- Although ultraviolet rays from sunlight triggers the body's ability to produce vitamin D, our latitude in Canada makes this ineffective for about half of the year. Sunscreen blocks the effect of UV rays. Aging also diminishes the effect of UV rays.
- Since sunlight is an unreliable source of vitamin
D for much of the year, a daily dietary source
of vitamin D is important. Children and adults
up to age 50 need about 200 IU of vitamin D each
day; 400 IU is recommended for adults age 51-70;
adults over 70 need 600 IU1.
- The upper tolerable level for vitamin D is 2000 IU/day.
- According to food law2, milk in Canada is
fortified with vitamin D so that 1 cup (250 mL)
provides 90 IU. Yogurt, cheese, buttermilk and
other milk products generally do not contain vitamin
D.
- You can get smaller amounts of vitamin D from egg yolks, liver and margarine.
- 40 IU of vitamin D is equivalent to 1 microgram (ug) of vitamin D.
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