Foods high in Vitamin D

Traditional foods high in Vitamin D include oily fish, seal blubber and cod liver oil.  None of these are common in the American diet today.  It is becoming much harder to meet daily vitamin D needs of 1400 to 2000 IU and maintain an optimal vitamin D level for good bone health.

Chart of common foods high in Vitamin D in International Units:

(adapted from the USDA website)

3 oz Sockeye Salmon    cooked dry-heat     800

3 oz Chinook Salmon      smoked                    575

3 oz Pink Canned Salmon                                 475

3 oz Pacific Rockfish cooked dry-heat       275

3 oz Canned Tuna in oil                                    225

3 oz Canned Tuna in water                             150

3 oz Atlantic Sardines canned in oil          175

3 oz Flounder or Sole cooked dry-heat   100

1 cup Vitamin D Fortified Milk                     125

1 cup Malted Drink Mix in Whole Milk     325

1 cup Eggnog                                                       125

The full list of 1200 food items is at www.ars.usda.gov/Services/

Jay Ginther, MD

2008 / Revised March 2011

Categorised in: Bone Health, Nutrition, Osteoporosis