The Vitamin D on Your Breakfast Table
Rain, rain and more rain? Lights on in the middle of the day? Here’s a sunny fact to brighten your gloomy day. Vitamin D is often called the sunshine vitamin because your body can make it via the action of sun on your skin. Clever eh?
Yet there’s a catch – UK sunshine is only strong enough for this to happen between April and September. So looking to dietary sources like your breakfast bowl of bix offers a safe and delicious dose of the sunshine vitamin all year round.
The UK’s Vitamin D Dilemma
Vitamin D is important for young and old and everyone in between. Along with calcium it helps look after your bones, muscles and teeth and helps support your immune system.
Lack of vitamin D is a public health concern in the UK. According to the latest UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey*, 18% of adults aged 19 to 64 years were classified as vitamin D deficient. During the winter (January to March), this rose to 31%. 23% of children aged 11 to 18 years were vitamin D deficient, rising to 36% in winter. *National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023: report – GOV.UK
Government advice is to choose vitamin D rich foods, spend time in the sun outdoors safely and take a supplement in the autumn and winter. Certain groups are advised to take a supplement all year round Vitamin D – NHS.
How to Get More Vitamin D in Your Diet
Part of the problem with getting enough vitamin D is that few foods are naturally good sources. Those that are include oily fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, eggs, red meat, mushrooms (if labelled as containing vitamin D) and fortified foods such as fat spreads and breakfast cereals. Unlike the US, most milk and dairy foods in the UK do not have added vitamin D.
Given the lack of sun and this short list, a boost can come year round from foods fortified with vitamin D such as breakfast cereals like Weetabix.
Fortify Your Breakfast
Food fortification means adding vitamins such as vitamin D or minerals such as iron to everyday foods to improve their nutritional value and help prevent deficiencies in the population.
Sometimes people don’t get enough of certain nutrients from their normal diet. This can happen because modern diets vary a lot, some nutrients are lost during food processing e.g. white flour and certain groups (like children, pregnant women, or older adults) need more of specific vitamins or minerals.
Fortifying foods is safe and helps make sure more people get the nutrients they need without having to change their eating habits. To learn more about how added vitamins and minerals can support your health, read our complete guide to fortified cereals.
Weetabix: Your Daily Dose of Sunshine
Weetabix cereals are now fortified with vitamin D helping you towards your daily goal. A two bix serving provide 50% (2.5µg) of your daily recommended amount of vitamin D or 138% per 100g.
It’s not only Weetabix original that’s fortified either. A whole range of cereal including Weetabix minis, Banana, Protein, Oatibix and Ready Brek are now rich in vitamin D too.
So if you want to look after your bones and muscles and support your immune system in this winter and beyond, grab that sunny yellow box and let a bowl of Weetabix make a delicious and significant contribution to your vitamin D needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much Vitamin D do I need per day?
The NHS recommends that adults and children over the age of one generally need 10 micrograms (µg) of Vitamin D a day, especially during the autumn and winter. However, for food labelling purposes, the official UK Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) is set at 5µg. A classic two-biscuit serving of Weetabix provides 2.5µg, which cleverly gives you 50% of your daily NRV—a brilliant start towards your daily goal!
Can I get enough Vitamin D from sunlight alone in the UK?
Only between late March/early April and the end of September. From October to early March, the sunlight in the UK simply doesn’t contain enough UVB radiation for our skin to be able to make Vitamin D naturally.
Are there other breakfast ideas to increase Vitamin D?
Absolutely! To supercharge your intake, try topping your Weetabix with a poached egg (if you’re feeling savoury!) or use fortified plant-based milks and yoghurts, which often have Vitamin D routinely added.