As I’ve been  recovering from an injury sustained this summer (which has been healing pretty well), bone health has been on my mind a lot.  We’ve all heard that calcium is one of the essentials for building and maintaining bone mass, and in the past few years, there’s been a lot in the media about the importance of vitamin D and its role in aiding calcium absorption and bone mineralization as well as its potential ability to help prevent some cancers, stroke, heart disease, and even diabetes.

We’ve also been hearing that most of us aren’t getting enough vitamin D. So how much should we be getting?

Though doctors have been ball-parking daily needs between 200 and 400IU for most people, it’s suspected that needs may actually be higher than that (but still safely under the 2000 IU toxicity level). The  Institute of Medicine is expected to release new guidelines for both vitamin D and calcium next month. I’m curious to find out.

You can read more here.

While I tend to err on the side of “the only thing a vitamin can cure is a deficiency in that vitamin,” after I found out I was low in D, I took my doctor’s advice and started taking a 400 IU supplement.

Though it does not occur much in food (it’s in fatty fish, egg yolks, and beef liver), certain foods are typically fortified with vitamin D, such as milk and yogurt as well as some cereals and juices—check the label to find out how much you’re getting. You can also get your daily dose by going out in the sun for a few minutes, but that comes with its own risks. Talk with your doctor about which method may work best for you.