{"id":447,"date":"2019-04-10T15:02:07","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T15:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=health&p=447"},"modified":"2019-04-11T15:01:02","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T15:01:02","slug":"vitamin-d","status":"publish","type":"health","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/health-fitness\/vitamins\/vitamin-d\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Vitamin D Sources & Supplements"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are many vitamins and nutrients that humans require in order to function in a healthy and sustainable manner. The reasons we need the various vitamins differ enormously, but when it comes to vitamin D the necessity is well documented and easy to comprehend. Humans need vitamin D in order to regulate the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus and hence maintain bone mineralisation and bone health.<\/p>\n
In this article, we will outline what vitamin D is, how we can obtain this essential vitamin (and it\u2019s not just through foods or supplements), and also how vegans (and indeed non-vegans) can ensure they obtain sufficient quantities of vitamin D to avoid deficiency. Before all that though, let\u2019s take a look at the primary vegan-friendly sources of vitamin D. Many people feel a vegan diet is almost guaranteed to be nutritionally dubious but when it comes to vitamin D, rest assured, vegans, getting enough is a walk in the park!<\/p>\n
The best vegan-friendly source of vitamin D isn\u2019t actually a food or supplement at all\u2026 it is the sun! The skin of humans \u2013 and many other animals \u2013 naturally produces vitamin D3 when exposed to sunlight, and specifically UVB radiation. We explain more about that later, but here are the vegan-friendly dietary sources of vitamin D for when the sun isn\u2019t shining. And, let\u2019s face it, if you live in the UK that\u2019s a little too often!<\/p>\n
The figures given for the amount of vitamin D are based on the nutritional information of given branded products at the time of writing and these might change. Always check the ingredients of a product to be sure of what it contains.<\/p>\n
Food or Product<\/th>\n | Details<\/th>\n | Amount of Vitamin D (\u03bcg\/100g or \u03bcg\/100ml)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
---|---|---|
Mushrooms*<\/td>\n | Mushrooms are one of the few natural (non-fortified) sources of vitamin D2 for vegans.<\/td>\n | Varies \u2013 see below<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
Fortified Breakfast Cereals**<\/td>\n | An increasing number of breakfast cereals are now fortified with vitamin D, and though there is room for improvement, there are some decent vegan-friendly options. Note that not all breakfast cereals<\/a> are vegan though.<\/td>\n | Kellogg\u2019s Special K \u2013 8.4<\/p>\n Kellogg\u2019s Bran Flakes \u2013 4.2<\/p>\n Kellogg\u2019s All Bran \u2013 3.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
Fortified Vegan Milk Alternatives<\/td>\n | Most of the main brands of milk alternatives in the UK, whether almond milk, oat milk, soy milk or any of the others, fortify their beverage with various vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D.<\/p>\n The amount will vary from product to product so check the label. (There are some notable exceptions, e.g. Oatly, who cannot fortify their oat drink with vitamins and still label it as organic.)<\/td>\n | Alpro Almond \u2013 0.75<\/p>\n Alpro Soya \u2013 0.75<\/p>\n Koko Coconut \u2013 0.75<\/p>\n Good Hemp \u2013 1.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
Fortified Margarine<\/td>\n | There are plenty of dairy free margarines on the market these days, and a fair few of them are fortified with vitamin D and other vitamins and nutrients. Note that some of these are likely to contain palm oil<\/a>.<\/td>\n | Pure Dairy Free Soya – 7.5<\/p>\n Flora Freedom Spread \u2013 20<\/p>\n Koko Dairy Free Spread \u2013 7.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
Fortified Dairy Free Yoghurt<\/td>\n | Just like the dairy free, vegan-friendly milk alternatives, companies also fortify vegan yoghurts with vitamin D, which is handy.<\/td>\n | Alpro Soya \u2013 0.75<\/p>\n Koko Dairy Free \u2013 0.75<\/p>\n Waitrose Vegan Vanilla \u2013 0.75<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n *Mushrooms \u2013 Increasing Vitamin D Levels<\/h4>\nMushrooms produce vitamin D2 when exposed to sunlight in a similar way to how humans and other animals produce vitamin D3. However, many commercially grown mushrooms are grown in dark conditions (as they are fungi so do not require sunlight to grow). Such mushrooms, as opposed to those grown in the open, will contain very little vitamin D.<\/p>\n Even if you purchase commercially produced mushrooms that have been grown in the dark, all is not lost, however. A number of studies, including those endorsed by the US Department of Agriculture<\/a>, have found that exposing mushrooms to direct sunlight or UV radiation (for example from a UV lamp) after harvesting significantly increases the levels of vitamin D2 it contains.<\/p>\n This is because all mushrooms contain ergosterol, which is a provitamin form of vitamin D2, that is it can be converted into vitamin D2 (in this case after exposure to ultraviolet radiation). We instinctively find that a little hard to believe but it is a strange old world and who are we to argue with the USDA?<\/p>\n Aside from those mentioned, there are a number of other foods that are popular with vegans that are also sometimes fortified with vitamin D. Some brands of tofu<\/a>, for instance, have started to be fortified with vitamin D, with Nasoya Tofuplus being one of the leading options here.<\/p>\n Fresh fruit juice is also occasionally fortified with vitamin D and calcium. As the presence or amount of vitamin D will vary from product to product, it is always worth checking the label or contacting the manufacturer or producer.<\/p>\n |