Food sources of vitamin D

Fish oils, and especially fish liver oils, are excellent sources of vitamin D, which occurs in those materials in free form as well as esters of long chain fatty acid esters.

Vitamin D is also present in small qualities in vegetables, meat and egg yolk.

Because most foods contain only very low amounts of vitamin D, it is the practice in many countries to fortify certain frequently consumed food e.g. baked goods, grain products, milk, yoghurt, cheeses, margarines, orange juices, infant foods and some breads.

The amount of vitamin D in fish remains unchanged if it is baked, but decrease about 50% if fish is fried.

The human body also is able to synthesize this vitamin from components of the skin through exposure to ultraviolet or sunlight.

Food sources of vitamin D