Do You Get Enough Vitamin D?

Many people runners and non-runners alike are worried about Vitamin D deficiency. Experts agree that this deficiency has been over-diagnosed in recent years.

Did you know that vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin at all: It’s a hormone, made by your body as you are exposed to sunlight.

Whatever it is, it has an important role in maintaining bone.

If you eat a varied diet and get some sun (about 20 minutes a day, unfiltered by sunscreen) then you are probably getting all the Vitamin D you need from these sources.

Even if you aren’t getting enough Vitamin D from sunlight, you probably don’t need a vitamin supplement

Do You Get Enough Vitamin D?

You need some Vitamin D-rich foods, like the following;

1. Salmon has by far the most Vitamin D of any food. Half a fillet of sockeye salmon has more than 1,400 iu of Vitamin D – more than twice as much as most people need in a day.

2. A serving of tuna has a healthy dose of Vitamin D – more than one-third of a daily dose. Light tuna in oil has the most Vitamin D.

3. Flatfish like sole and flounder have about one-fourth a day’s worth of Vitamin D.

4. Fortified milk has about one-fifth a day’s worth of Vitamin D

5. Three little ounces of pork can provide as much as 88 iu of Vitamin D – almost one-seventh of a daily dose. The most can be found in ribs, and the amount of Vitamin D in pork varies greatly by cut and preparation.

Runners, Do You Get Enough Vitamin D?

6. Two large eggs have about one-tenth of a daily dose of Vitamin D needed.

7. Mushrooms can have a significant amount of Vitamin D, but the amount varies widely by type.

8. A 3-ounce portion of beef liver has more than 42 iu of Vitamin D – about one-fourteenth of a daily dose needed for someone who doesn’t get much exposure to the sun.

9. Ricotta cheese stands out among cheeses for its relatively high Vitamin D.

I know runners are always out under the sun, but what about when its winter. Or when you do a lot of running early on or late at night?

So the question really is for us all. It doesn’t matter if you’re a runner or not.

“Do you get enough vitamin D?”

I guess to be on the safe side you need both approach. Get exposure to sunlight and eat these great vitamin D sources as much as you can.