Guide
Foods with vitamin D: what has it and how much
Oily fish and cod liver oil are the rich sources; eggs and fortified milk carry a little; plants almost none. USDA values per 100 g, and how food counts toward the limit.
Few foods contain much vitamin D3. The richest are oily fish and fish liver oil: USDA FoodData Central lists cooked sockeye salmon at 16.7 mcg (670 IU) per 100 g and cod liver oil at 250 mcg per 100 g. Eggs and canned light tuna carry 1 to 2 mcg per 100 g, and plant foods almost none.
Foods that contain vitamin D3: USDA values
The figures below are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and Foundation entries, per 100 g, with the FoodData Central ID so you can check them). They are averages: a wild fish, a farmed fish and a canned fish are different foods, and your portion is probably not 100 g. Conversion: 1 mcg = 40 IU.
| Food (FoodData Central entry) | mcg | IU | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cod liver oil (173577) | 250 | 10,000 | D2 + D3 combined, not split |
| Salmon, sockeye, canned, drained solids (173693) | 21.0 | 841 | D3 |
| Trout, rainbow, farmed, cooked (173718) | 19.0 | 759 | D3 |
| Salmon, sockeye, cooked, dry heat (173692) | 16.7 | 670 | D3 |
| Tuna, light, canned in oil, drained (173708) | 6.7 | 269 | D3 |
| Sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained, with bone (175139) | 4.8 | 193 | D3 |
| Egg, whole, hard-boiled (173424) | 2.2 | 87 | D3 |
| Milk, chocolate, whole, with added vitamin D (170879) | 1.3 | 51 | D3 (added) |
| Tuna, light, canned in water, drained (334194) | 1.2 | 47 | D3 |
| Milk, 1%, protein fortified, with added vitamin D (171268) | 1.0 | 40 | D2 + D3 combined (added) |
| Mushrooms, portabella, raw (169255) | 0.3 | 10 | D2 (no D3) |
Three things to read from the table. Oily fish is the only everyday food in the double digits. Milk and similar foods carry vitamin D only because it was added, so the amount depends on the brand: read its label. And mushrooms contain D2, not D3, in small amounts unless they were exposed to ultraviolet light, which raises it; the package says if they were.
How food compares with the adult numbers
The adult RDA is 15 mcg (600 IU) a day to age 70 and 20 mcg (800 IU) over 70, and the upper limit is 100 mcg (4,000 IU) from all sources (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). Against the table, one 100 g serving of cooked sockeye (about 3.5 oz) is about 111% of the RDA; an egg or a glass of milk is a small fraction of it. Food counts toward the upper limit, but it is hard to reach by eating: the exception is cod liver oil, where 5 g (roughly a teaspoon) is about 12.5 mcg by the USDA figure, and where products vary. Cod liver oil also contains preformed vitamin A, which has an upper limit of its own, so check that label (see cod liver oil and other forms).
Is vitamin D3 vegan or vegetarian in food?
Vitamin D3 in food comes from animals: fish, fish oils, egg yolk, and the vitamin added to milk. Vegetarians who eat eggs and fortified dairy get some. Strict vegans get little from unfortified food; the plant form is D2 (ergocalciferol). A meta-analysis of trials comparing the two found D3 raised blood vitamin D more than D2 overall, but the advantage disappeared when the dose was taken daily rather than as a large single dose. Fortified plant milks and cereals may list D2 or D3, depending on the maker, so check the label.
Should vitamin D3 be taken with food?
Yes, a meal with some fat is the better habit. In a trial of 50 healthy older adults, a single 50,000 IU dose of vitamin D3 reached a peak blood level 32% higher (95% CI 11% to 52%) with a fat-containing breakfast than a fat-free one, and the kind of fat made no difference. The limits: one day, a dose 25 times a softgel, and a blood level rather than a health outcome. The full discussion, including empty stomach and morning versus night, is in when to take vitamin D.
What to eat with vitamin D3?
Anything with fat in it. The trial tested a fat-containing breakfast against a fat-free one and found no difference between types of fat, so we cannot name a best food to pair it with. We found no trial of a particular food, such as olive oil, avocado or eggs, improving absorption.
Our softgel, as a label fact
Electric Tiger Vitamin D3 has 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol per softgel, as low as $15.35 a bottle on subscription. By arithmetic from the USDA figure above, that is the amount in about 300 g of cooked sockeye. It is half of the 100 mcg upper limit, so count the fish, fortified milk and any other supplement you take. The reference numbers are in how much vitamin D should you take a day.
Questions people ask
What food has vitamin D3, and which foods contain it?
Oily fish (salmon, trout, sardines, tuna), cod liver oil and egg yolk, plus foods with added vitamin D such as some milks and cereals. See the table for the USDA numbers.
What foods are high in vitamin D3, and what is a rich source?
Cod liver oil (250 mcg per 100 g) and cooked or canned salmon and trout (about 17 to 21 mcg per 100 g) are far above everything else in the table.
Are there vegetarian or vegan foods with vitamin D3?
Eggs and fortified dairy for vegetarians. For vegans, mostly fortified foods; the natural plant form is D2, in small amounts in mushrooms. Our softgel is not vegan or vegetarian: its shell is gelatin.
Should you take vitamin D3 with or without food?
With a meal that contains fat. The evidence is one trial of a blood level after a single large dose; no trial we cite tests an empty stomach.
Sources
- Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption In 50 healthy older adults, one 50,000 IU D3 dose absorbed about 32% better with a fat-containing breakfast than a fat-free one.
- Comparison of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 supplementation in raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status: a systematic review and meta-analysis D3 raised blood vitamin D levels more than D2 overall, but the difference disappeared when it was taken daily.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
