Dietary sources of vitamin D are limited, so it is difficult to get enough of this important vitamin from food alone. Here is some dietary advice to improve your vitamin D status:
- Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products in your diet
- Include lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are very good sources of vitamin D. Small amounts of vitamin D are also found in beef liver and egg yolks
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- Consume vitamin D fortified food
- Stay within your daily calorie needs
- Use calcium and vitamin D supplements if indicated. Adequate calcium and vitamin D are essential to optimise your bone health.
- The daily recommended maintenance dose of vitamin D varies by age; for infants, 1,000 IU/day and 2,000 IU/day are recommended for children and adults respectively. However, higher doses of vitamin D given either daily or weekly are recommended for vitamin D-deficient children and adults.
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Patients who are on vitamin D supplements should have a repeat blood test for their vitamin D level to confirm that they are within the normal range. If the vitamin D concentration remains persistently low despite several attempts at correction with oral vitamin D supplements, a trial of UVB light therapy (i.e. by tanning lamps) may be considered to improve vitamin D status. Too much vitamin D in your blood can be toxic and so it is important to consult your doctor and discuss the dosage and duration of the intake. |