How to Eat Your Vitamins: Vitamin D

What It Does for You

It enhances calcium absorption. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis and has been linked to certain cancers, as well as to multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.

How Much You Need Daily

Two hundred IUs for women up to age 50, and 400 to 600 IUs for those over 50.*

Best Food Sources

Although some is found in fatty fishes, like tuna and salmon, most of our vitamin D comes from fortified foods, like milk and cereal. The body also produces its own vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.

How to Eat Enough of It

If you're under 50, one 3 1/2-ounce serving of salmon or two cups of fortified milk will give you the RDA. Ten to 15 minutes of sunlight (with no sunscreen) two to three times a week is usually sufficient, too.

Note:

Fat-soluble vitamins, such as D and E, are typically measured in IUs, or international units, instead of milligrams or micrograms.