How much Vitamin D do you need each day?

Daily needs depend on age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, health, and other factors. Use the requirement table on this page for general guidance.

Are high Vitamin D foods safe for everyone?

Food sources are suitable for many people, but medical conditions, medicines, allergies, supplements, and pregnancy can change what is safe.

Foodmanac nutrient guide

100 Foods High In Vitamin D With Benefits, Daily Needs and Warnings

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and supports bone health, muscles, and immune function.

Use this page to understand Vitamin D benefits, daily requirements, safety notes, and the top Foodmanac food sources.

See top Vitamin D foods Daily needs table Warnings

Vitamin D benefits in the body

Helps calcium absorption in the gut.
Supports bone mineralization and bone strength.
Supports normal muscle function.
Plays a role in immune system activity.
Works closely with calcium and phosphorus.

Who should pay attention?

Sun exposure, skin tone, season, and latitude affect vitamin D status.
Few foods naturally contain large amounts.
Fortified milk and foods can help intake.
Blood testing may be needed for deficiency assessment.

How to use this list

Compare foods by measured database values.
Choose foods that fit your diet and culture.
Check serving size before judging a food.
Use medical advice for disease-specific diets.

Vitamin D daily body requirements

Daily needs change by age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, body size, health, medicines, and activity. The table gives general U.S. reference values for healthy people.

Vitamin D daily requirements by age, sex, and life stage
Group	Recommended intake
Infants 0–12 months	10 mcg/day, 400 IU
Ages 1–70 years	15 mcg/day, 600 IU
Adults 71+ years	20 mcg/day, 800 IU
Pregnancy and lactation	15 mcg/day, 600 IU

These values are education guidance, not a personal prescription. Your clinician can adjust targets for medical conditions.

Vitamin D warnings and safe-use notes

High-dose vitamin D supplements can be harmful.
Excess vitamin D can raise blood calcium too much.
Do not use very high doses unless prescribed.
People with kidney disease need medical guidance.

Before you use the food ranking

A high value in the table does not automatically make a food best for everyone. Calories, allergies, sodium, added sugar, preparation, and portion size also matter.

Also, some foods are rich because they are dried, concentrated, fortified, or cooked. Compare similar serving sizes before making a meal decision.

Top 100 Foods High In Vitamin D

Foodmanac ranks these foods from the database nutrient values available for this nutrient. Amounts are shown exactly as stored in the food record.

Top foods ranked by Vitamin D amount
Rank	Food source	Vitamin D amount
1	Fish oil, cod liver	250.00000000 µg
2	Mushrooms, brown, italian, or crimini, exposed to ultraviolet light, raw	31.90000000 µg
3	Mushrooms, portabella, exposed to ultraviolet light, raw	28.40000000 µg
4	Mushrooms, maitake, raw	28.10000000 µg
5	Fish, halibut, Greenland, raw	27.40000000 µg
6	Mushroom, white, exposed to ultraviolet light, raw	26.20000000 µg
7	Fish, carp	26.00000000 µg
8	Fish, mackerel, salted	25.20000000 µg
9	Fish, carp, raw	24.70000000 µg
10	Fish, eel	24.50000000 µg
11	Fish, eel, mixed species, raw	23.30000000 µg
12	Salmon, sockeye, canned, drained solids, without skin and bones	21.50000000 µg
13	Fish, salmon, sockeye, canned, drained solids	21.00000000 µg
14	Fish, trout, grilled	20.20000000 µg
15	Fish, trout, steamed	20.10000000 µg
16	Fish, trout, baked or broiled	19.80000000 µg
17	Salmon, sockeye, canned, total can contents	19.00000000 µg
18	Fish, trout, rainbow, farmed, cooked, dry heat	19.00000000 µg
19	Margarine,spread, 35-39% fat, tub	17.50000000 µg
20	Fish, salmon, chinook, smoked	17.10000000 µg
21	Fish, salmon, smoked	17.10000000 µg
22	Fish, trout, baked or broiled, coated	16.70000000 µg
23	Fish, salmon, sockeye, cooked, dry heat	16.70000000 µg
24	Fish, swordfish, cooked, dry heat	16.60000000 µg
25	Fish, sturgeon, mixed species, smoked	16.10000000 µg
26	Fish, mackerel, Atlantic, raw	16.10000000 µg
27	Fish, trout, rainbow, farmed, raw	15.90000000 µg
28	Egg, yolk, dried	15.70000000 µg
29	Steelhead trout, dried, flesh (Shoshone Bannock)	15.70000000 µg
30	Steelhead trout, boiled, canned (Alaska Native)	15.10000000 µg
31	Fish, swordfish	14.60000000 µg
32	Fish, salmon, pink, canned, drained solids	14.50000000 µg
33	Fish, Salmon, pink, canned, drained solids, without skin and bones	14.10000000 µg
34	Fish, salmon, canned	14.10000000 µg
35	Fish, salmon, sockeye, raw	14.10000000 µg
36	Fish, pompano, grilled	14.00000000 µg
37	Fish, salmon, grilled	13.90000000 µg
38	Fish, pompano, steamed	13.90000000 µg
39	Fish, salmon, steamed	13.90000000 µg
40	Fish, swordfish, raw	13.90000000 µg
41	Fish, salmon, pink, canned, total can contents	13.70000000 µg
42	Fish, pompano, NFS	13.70000000 µg
43	Fish, salmon, NFS	13.70000000 µg
44	Fish, pompano, baked or broiled	13.70000000 µg
45	Fish, salmon, baked or broiled	13.70000000 µg
46	Fish, cisco, smoked	13.30000000 µg
47	Mushrooms, portabella, exposed to ultraviolet light, grilled	13.10000000 µg
48	Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat	13.10000000 µg
49	Fish, salmon, pink, cooked, dry heat	13.00000000 µg
50	Fish, sturgeon, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	12.90000000 µg
51	Fish, whitefish, mixed species, smoked	12.80000000 µg
52	Baby Toddler cereal, oatmeal, dry	12.70000000 µg
53	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, dry fortified	12.70000000 µg
54	Babyfood, cereal, Oatmeal, dry, GERBER, SINGLE GRAIN, fortified	12.70000000 µg
55	Fish, catfish, channel, wild, raw	12.50000000 µg
56	Beverages, nutritional shake mix, high protein, powder	12.50000000 µg
57	Nutritional powder mix, high protein (Herbalife)	12.50000000 µg
58	Nutritional powder mix, high protein, NFS	12.50000000 µg
59	Baby Toddler cereal, oatmeal with fruit, dry	12.10000000 µg
60	Fish, trout, fried	12.10000000 µg
61	Fish, roe, mixed species, raw	12.10000000 µg
62	Fish, trout, NFS	12.10000000 µg
63	Fish, whitefish, mixed species, raw	12.00000000 µg
64	Margarine Spread, 40-49% fat, tub	11.80000000 µg
65	Fish, mackerel, grilled	11.60000000 µg
66	Fish, pompano, baked or broiled, coated	11.60000000 µg
67	Fish, salmon, baked or broiled, coated	11.60000000 µg
68	Fish, mackerel, Pacific and jack, mixed species, cooked, dry heat	11.40000000 µg
69	Fish, mackerel, NFS	11.30000000 µg
70	Fish, salmon, coho, wild, cooked, dry heat	11.30000000 µg
71	Fish, mackerel, baked or broiled	11.30000000 µg
72	Milk, dry, not reconstituted	11.00000000 µg
73	Milk, dry, nonfat, instant, with added vitamin A and vitamin D	11.00000000 µg
74	Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, raw	11.00000000 µg
75	Fish, salmon, raw	11.00000000 µg
76	Fish, pompano, florida, raw	11.00000000 µg
77	Milk, dry, nonfat, regular, with added vitamin A and vitamin D	11.00000000 µg
78	Fish, salmon, pink, raw	10.90000000 µg
79	Fish, snapper	10.80000000 µg
80	Margarine-like, vegetable oil spread, 60% fat, stick/tub/bottle, without salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
81	Margarine-like, vegetable oil spread, 60% fat, stick, with salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
82	Margarine-like vegetable-oil spread, stick/tub/bottle, 60% fat, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
83	Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
84	Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, without salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
85	Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, tub, with salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
86	Margarine-like, vegetable oil spread, 60% fat, tub, with salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
87	Margarine-like, vegetable oil spread, approximately 37% fat, unspecified oils, with salt, with added vitamin D	10.70000000 µg
88	Milk, dry, whole, with added vitamin D	10.50000000 µg
89	Egg, yolk, dried	10.40000000 µg
90	Fish, sturgeon, mixed species, raw	10.30000000 µg
91	Fish, snapper, mixed species, raw	10.20000000 µg
92	Egg, whole, dried	9.70000000 µg
93	Nutritional powder mix (Slim Fast)	9.60000000 µg
94	Fish, salmon, chum, canned, drained solids with bone	9.60000000 µg
95	Fish, mackerel, baked or broiled, coated	9.60000000 µg
96	Nutritional powder mix, sugar free (Slim Fast)	9.60000000 µg
97	Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST Shake Mix, high protein, whey powder, 3-2-1 Plan,	9.60000000 µg
98	Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST Shake Mix, powder, 3-2-1 Plan	9.60000000 µg
99	Nutritional powder mix, high protein (Slim Fast)	9.60000000 µg
100	Infant formula, MEAD JOHNSON, Enfamil for Supplementing, powder, with ARA and DHA, not reconstituted	9.50000000 µg

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Vitamin D do in the body?

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and supports bone health, muscles, and immune function.

How much Vitamin D do I need each day?

Your need depends on age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, health, medicines, and other factors. Use the table above for general daily reference values.

Which foods contain the most Vitamin D?

The table ranks foods by Foodmanac database values. Always compare serving size and preparation before choosing a food.

Can too much Vitamin D be harmful?

Yes, excessive intake can be unsafe for some nutrients, supplements, and health conditions. Review the warnings above and seek medical advice when needed.

References

Foodmanac uses database values for rankings. Daily needs and warning notes are based on public nutrition references.