The Vital Importance of Vitamin D

Margaret Hudson
President, Burnbrae Farms
4^th Generation Farmer

5 Key Facts About Vitamin D

1. In Canada, your body can’t make vitamin D from sunlight for about 6 months (October–March) because UVB levels are too low.

2. Vitamin D boosts your immune system (helping fight colds and infections), reduces inflammation, and supports bone health by aiding calcium absorption to prevent osteoporosis.

3. Recommended daily amounts: 400 IU for babies, 600 IU for ages 1–70 (including pregnancy), and 800 IU for 71+. Some experts suggest more—check with your doctor and get a blood test.

4. Natural food sources are limited: fatty fish, fortified milk (now ~200 IU per cup after new Health Canada regulations), certain mushrooms, and eggs (e.g., two enriched eggs, either Naturegg Nature’s Best or Naturegg Omega Plus give 13% of daily needs).

5. Supplements are often recommended, especially over age 50 (Health Canada suggests 400 IU daily), with higher doses widely available—consult your healthcare provider.

Article

When the sun sets early and the snow is on the ground, I’m always more mindful of getting enough vitamin D. Living in Canada through grey winters, I know that the sun’s rays don’t provide enough sunshine to help my body produce vitamin D in the fall and winter months.  As a rule of thumb, a UVB index of 3 or higher is needed in order for our skin to make vitamin D; that’s just not possible in Canada for about six months of the year. We can’t rely on sunlight to make vitamin D from October through March; this is when paying attention to food sources of vitamin D and possibly supplements is important.

I always make sure to choose foods that are rich in vitamin D, and I also take a vitamin D supplement if needed. Why? The body’s immune system requires vitamin D to fight off any invading bacteria and viruses – even respiratory tract infections (such as the common cold). Vitamin D also helps quell inflammation and researchers continue to investigate other possible functions, such as protecting against multiple sclerosis and depression.

Vitamin D is also crucial for bone health. It works in partnership with other bone-building nutrients, such as phosphorus and calcium. In fact, vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. In this role, it helps protect against developing osteoporosis , a disease of weak and brittle bones.

Today we’ll look at sources of vitamin D, why you need it, and how eggs play a role.

How much vitamin D do I need?

The average daily requirement of vitamin D is based on your age and life stage.

Life Stage & Age and Recommended Amount

Birth to 12 months

10 mcg (400 IU)

Children 1–13 years

15 mcg (600 IU)

Teens 14–18 years

15 mcg (600 IU)

Adults 19–70 years

15 mcg (600 IU)

Adults 71 years and older

20 mcg (800 IU)

Pregnant and breastfeeding teens and women

15 mcg (600 IU)

Some health care professionals believe that these numbers are too low and that 600 to 800 IU per day is not nearly enough to reap certain health benefits. That’s not for me to debate or advise you on; check with your doctor or healthcare provider to see if your vitamin D level is adequate (they can check using a blood test) That can help you decide how much you need each day and whether you need a vitamin D supplement, and if so, how much to take.

Which foods contain vitamin D?

Your body can make vitamin D from the sun’s rays. That’s why you may have heard vitamin D called the “sunshine vitamin.” Of course, living in Canada means that we dsimply cannot make vitamin D all year round.

We often hear that under ideal conditions, casual sun exposure during the spring and summer is all that’s needed to make the vitamin D that we need. Unfortunately, “ideal conditions” are often elusive: cloud cover, smog, older age (those 65 and over generate only one-fourth as much as younger people do), and having dark-colored skin also reduce the amount of vitamin D your skin makes, as does properly wearing sunblock as directed to prevent skin cancer (which is important to do!)

When sun is not plentiful, you can get vitamin D from foods and supplements. Compared to other vitamins, the list of foods containing vitamin D is quite short. It is found in fatty fish (such as salmon), fortified milk or alternative beverages, specific mushrooms grown in greenhouses, and eggs.

Two Naturegg Nature's Best or Naturegg Omega Plus eggs contain 13 percent of your daily vitamin D. The hens that produce these particular eggs enjoy a special feed that has been enriched with vitamin D, resulting in more vitamin D in your eggs!

So a meal with two of these eggs provides 13 percent of your day’s vitamin D requirement. With new regulations that came into affect as of December 31, 2025 which increased the amount of vitamin D per cup from about 92 IU to 200 IU, a cup of milk (any type – whole, 1%, skim, etc.) contains about 33 percent of your day’s vitamin D needs. Eggs and milk for breakfast are a great combination! Try pairing them in this Crustless egg and ham quiche .

What about supplements?

Since vitamin D is not found in many foods, Health Canada recommends that all adults over the age of 50 should take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU. Other health care professionals think that everyone should be taking vitamin D supplements daily (regardless of age), and many recommend even more than 400 IU. The same regulations that increased the amount of vitamin D added to milk allows a discretionary increase to the maximum amount of vitamin D permitted in supplements as well.   I’ve noticed that many vitamin D supplements are now sold in 2500 IU doses. Check with your health care provider to see what they recommend for you!

Margaret Hudson

President & CEO, Burnbrae Farms