Yummy Vitamin D-rich Meals

Vitamin D plays a huge role in your health. It helps in the proper absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and phosphate in the body. More significantly, it helps prevent the weakening of the bones, a condition called osteomalacia, which can cause bone fractures.

Where to get Your Vitamin D

Your skin can convert a good amount of vitamin D from the sun, provided you are not wearing a sun block. But if standing under the sun isn’t really your thing, or you don’t always get the chance to stay outdoors or, perhaps, you are located in areas where the sun’s exposure is limited, then you should make sure you are getting enough vitamin D through your dietary intake.

Some food sources of vitamin D are salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, beef liver, eggs, cow’s milk, cheese and vitamin D fortified foods. However, for individuals like me, these foods can sometimes taste simple and plain when cooked the usual way. So, what I do is spice them up a bit by tweaking some recipes, sometimes cooking them several of them in one dish – that means more vitamin D in one go!

My Top 3 Recipe Picks

It seems quite easy to just look up recipes and meals, but sometimes I don’t have the ingredients available. Or maybe I have watched a cooking show that has an interesting dish I would like to try but want to spice it up more healthily – what I would do is replace the ingredients with vitamin D rich foods and still enjoy the meal.

So, here are some meals you can try for a vitamin D rich dinner (or lunch):

Salmon Croquette

This tasty dish is not only rich in vitamin D; it is also a good source of magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B and calcium. Use canned salmon, milk and lemon juice for the tasty patties, and season with cayenne, salt and pepper. Baking is my preferred method, but if you don’t have an oven, deep-frying or frying will do. You can match this with mashed potato, but I often eat it with lettuce.

Penne with Tuna

Now this is a really simple dish, but it tastes awesome just the same. It’s perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time for preparation, and you can even set some aside for the next day. I use canned tuna and penne, but you can substitute the pasta with macaroni or fusilli, whichever suits your style. The olives will also give a kick to the overall flavour. Apart from being an excellent source of vitamin D, this yummy dish is also low in cholesterol.

Sole Fillet with Vegetables

You may need to have oven for this to really achieve the delish taste and, of course, the sole fillet. You can substitute this with cod if you wish. To make this extra flavourful, I top the dish with grated Parmesan cheese and eat it with potato, lettuce and tomato. Squeezing some lemon juice also adds a unique taste.