Vitamin D is probably one of the most common vitamins you here about, but do you actually know what it is or what it does for you? Vitamin D is also known as calciferol which is a fat-soluble vitamin a fat-soluble vitamin that aids in the absorption of calcium and phosphorous which are both essential minerals to our bodies. The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) changes only slightly with age and sex as follows:

Infants

• 0-12 months: 10 mcg/day

Children and teens

• 1-17 years: 15 mcg/day

Adults

• 18-70 years: 15 mcg/day
• 70+ years: 20 mcg/day

During pregnancy and lactation

• 14+ years: 15 mcg/day

Vitamin D Toxicity

Yes, vitamin D is essential to our health and well-being, but it is important to note that taking too much vitamin D at once can cause serious damage if you are not careful. Vitamin D toxicity can lead to higher levels of blood calcium. If you get to the point of vitamin D toxicity it can cause apathy, confusion, dehydration, and abdominal pain. The upper limits of vitamin D are as follows:

Infants

• 0-6 months: 25 mcg/day
• 7-12 months: 38 mcg/day

Children/Adults

• 1-3 years: 63 mcg/day
• 4-8 years: 75 mcg/day
• 9+ years: 100 mcg/day

During pregnancy and lactation

• 14+ years: 100 mcg/day

Vitamin D Deficiency 

Detrimental effects can also occur if you do not get enough vitamin D. From getting too little vitamin D, it can cause rickets (mostly in infants) and osteoporosis (occurs in adults). Most know you can get vitamin D from the sun, but you cannot just rely on that especially if you are someone who is inside a lot, wears sunscreen, or have a darker complexion because higher levels of melanin in the skin causes less vitamin D absorption from the sun. This in no way means to not use sunscreen as it is important to use it every day to protect your skin from damage from UV rays, it just means to get it from other sources rather than just sunlight.

Doctors or healthcare professionals can check to see if you have a vitamin D deficiency by doing a blood test and if diagnosed with a deficiency you may have your bones checked for how strong they are.

Foods Containing Vitamin D

It is best to get your vitamin D intake from natural food sources as it is harder to get to that level of toxicity when coming from natural food. Here is a list of some sources with vitamin D and their Daily Value (DV):

Meat:

• Beef liver (braised, 3 oz) – 5% DV
• Chicken Breast (roasted, 3 oz) – 1% DV
• Egg (scrambled, 1 large) – 6% DV

Fish:

• Cod liver oil (1 tablespoon) – 170% DV
• Trout (rainbow, cooked, 3 oz) – 81% DV
• Salmon (sockeye, cooked, 3 oz) – 71% DV
• Sardines (Atlantic, canned in oil, drained, 3 oz) – 6% DV
• Tuna (light, canned in water, drained, 3 oz) – 5% DV

Vegetables:

• Mushrooms (white, raw, exposed to UV light, 1/2 cup) – 46% DV
• Portabella mushrooms (1/2 cup) – 1 % DV

And lastly sunshine!

To learn more in depth you can check out these websites for more information or even visit Dr.Brooke’s website!

• Vitamin D – Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov)
• Vitamin D: Benefits, Sources, Deficiencies (healthline.com)

For more personalized information check out:

• The Mind Body Reset 
• If you’d like to receive 15% off all of your supplements, you can check out and sign up for Dr.Brooke’s online dispensary at us.fullscript.com/welcome/drbrookestuart