Vegan Vitamin D — How to get Enough on a Plant-Based Diet.

6 min readAug 25, 2021

Vitamin D deficiency is thought to affect one billion people worldwide, and up to half the world’s population are thought to have sub-optimal levels.

So vitamin D insufficiency isn’t only a problem for vegans.

Vitamin D is an essential molecule, required for human health.

It plays a role in various bodily systems, but primarily, you need sufficient Vitamin D to absorb calcium from your diet. If you lack vitamin D, your body will struggle to get its calcium requirements, and will be unable to build and maintain strong bones.

Vitamin D also helps to absorb a range of other nutrients, as well as helping you to keep your cardiovascular system in good shape.

Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency

Fatigue — Studies have shown that having low levels of vitamin D in your blood can cause fatigue, which can be reversed by providing the body with a good source of vitamin D.
Depression — A lack of vitamin D has been shown to have an impact on mood and has even been linked to depression.
Weakened immune system — which would manifest as getting sick frequently, maybe with lots of colds. There has been lots of talk about vitamin D levels impacting susceptibility to Covid.

The long-term effects of a deficiency can be very serious and have been linked to:

Cancer
High blood pressure
Neurological disease
Type II diabetes
Autoimmune diseases
Inflammatory disorders

Who is at risk from deficiency?

Dietary sources of Vitamin D are most abundant in animal products with only a few plant-based sources. This makes vitamin D something that those on a plant-based diet need to be especially mindful of.

Plus, even though Vitamin D is found in animal sources, many people who eat animal products still suffer from deficiencies. An article in the magazine Scientific American says that:

“Three-quarters of U.S. teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D”.

So, Its something that everyone should have on their radar.

Vegan dietary intakes of vitamin D are typically lower than those of lactovegetarians and of non-vegetarians, unless vegans regularly find ways to actively supplement their intake. We’re going to look at how to do that next.

Vegan sources of Vitamin D

There are a few ways for you to get vitamin D into your diet through plant-based foods.

Mushrooms — Can be really good sources of vitamin D. Shiitake are a favourite variety with us, but you could also try Button or Portobello. If you leave them in the sunlight gill-side up, for about half an hour, they will produce vitamin D. That may sound surprising, but humans similarly produce vitamin D through exposure to sunlight.
Fortified foods — Vitamin D is sometimes added to products and can provide an additional source. You’ll find it in some plant milks, cereals, some fruit juices and even in tofu. You need to check the labels though to make sure it says ‘fortified with vitamin D’.

As you can see, there isn’t an abundance of plant sources of vitamin D (unlike for many of the other nutrients our bodies need.)

Vitamin D from Sunshine

The good news for vegans (and everyone else), is that we can get the vitamin D we need from exposure to sunlight. Our bodies are able to turn sunlight which falls on to our skin into this essential vitamin. Pretty cool!

So, how much sunlight do I need?

As a rough guide, 15–20 minutes of sunlight on your face and bare arms, a few times a week, should be enough for your body to produce all the vitamin D it needs. There are however a few things to keep in mind:

If you live far from the equator the strength of the sun will be much weaker and you may require more time in sunlight to get the same effect. Similarly, in winter, 15–20 minutes might not be enough for you to get all you need.
If you don’t get enough sunlight either because of where you live, the time of year, or your lifestyle, you may want to consider taking a supplement (see below). If you are worried you have a vitamin D deficiency, you should talk to your doctor about getting a blood test.

Supplementing with vitamin D for vegans

You may choose to use a Vitamin D supplement which can easily be found in any health store or on the internet. They are pretty inexpensive and you usually take one a day to get your daily needs. If you do decide to supplement, keep in mind that:

Vitamin D3 — normally comes from animal sources (often from fish oils).
You can find vegan friendly sources — which are derived from lichen.

The best thing is to check the label as they will usually tell you if they are vegan friendly. You could also do an internet search for “vegan vitamin D3” and see which products come up.

Vitamin D2 — This is derived from plant-based sources and so is vegan friendly.

In the UK, Public Health England is suggesting that everyone (not only vegans) take a vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter, and anyone who doesn’t get exposure to sunlight should supplement year round.

This infographic, shows the amount of vitamin D that’s normally recommended each day for different age groups.

As always, if you have any concerns, have a chat with your health professional.

Key Takeaways

Vitamin D deficiency is a global problem and impacts vegans and non-vegans alike.
Plant –based sources of vitamin D are limited and we talked about mushrooms and fortified foods.

As a result vegans need to take special care.

15–20 mins of sunlight on the skin is usual recommended to allow your body to produce the Vitamin D it needs.

Some people may decide to supplement with vitamin D tablets. If you do:

D3 is sometimes made from animals and sometimes plants — so check labels.
D2 is from plant-based sources.

Become a Plant Based Pro

If you’d like to master all aspects of vegan nutrition, along with 6 Weeks of Nutritionist-Approved Meal Plans and 100 Plus Gorgeous Recipe Cards then…

Check out our vegan cooking and nutrition course over on Udemy.

Health warning

The information in this article is taken from our Udemy course, which teaches you everything you need to master vegan cooking and nutrition.

We’ll provide you with all the meal plans, recipes, information and nutritional guidelines you need to start or enhance your vegan journey. The course includes 6 weeks of nutritionist-approved meal plans.

The programme, and this article, contains lots of information about nutrition, and while it’s been made in conjunction with a nutritionist, it doesn’t constitute any kind of health advice, and is provided to you as information only. You should seek health advice from a medical professional if you have any concerns at all — only they are qualified to help you