6 Ways I Keep My Vitamin D Up in Menopause (Vegan)

Living in Michigan, I get a front-row seat to just how little sun we see for a good chunk of the year. Add a vegan diet, where the natural food sources of vitamin D are slim, and menopause, when bone health suddenly matters a great deal more, and vitamin D became something I stopped leaving to chance.

Vitamin D is not really a vitamin at all but a hormone the body mostly makes from sunlight, and a lot of us, especially in northern states, run low. Low levels can quietly affect mood, energy, immunity, and bone strength. Here are the six things I do to keep mine in a healthy range, as a vegan in a cloudy state going through menopause. As always, this is my experience, not medical advice, so work with your own doctor on the specifics.

1. I Get My Levels Tested

The first thing I did was stop guessing and actually get my vitamin D level checked with a simple blood test. Knowing my real number meant I could supplement to a target rather than throwing pills at a problem I could not see. I recheck periodically, because the right dose for me is the one that keeps my level where my doctor and I want it, not a number off a bottle.

2. A Vegan D3 Supplement

For most of us in northern climates, food and sun alone do not cut it, so a supplement does the heavy lifting. The form matters: D3 is generally better absorbed than D2, and the good news for vegans is that D3 derived from lichen is now widely available. I take a vegan D3 daily, especially through the long stretch of the year when the sun is barely a rumor.

3. Sensible Sun When I Can Get It

When Michigan does grant us a sunny day, I take advantage of it. A little midday sun on bare skin, without burning, lets the body make its own vitamin D the way it is designed to. It is not a reliable year-round strategy this far north, but in the warmer months it is a free and pleasant top-up, and the daylight does my mood good too.

4. Vitamin-D Foods That Fit a Vegan Diet

While food will not get me all the way there, I lean on the vegan sources that exist. Fortified plant milks and some fortified cereals and orange juice contribute, and mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light actually contain meaningful vitamin D. I keep fortified plant milk on hand and choose UV-treated mushrooms when I can find them, so my everyday eating chips in.

5. Pairing It With the Right Cofactors

Vitamin D does not work alone. It partners with nutrients like magnesium and vitamin K2 to do its job, particularly when it comes to directing calcium into bones rather than soft tissue. I already take magnesium at night, and I make sure my overall routine supports D rather than leaving it to work in isolation. It is worth asking your doctor whether cofactors make sense for you.

6. Staying Consistent Through Michigan Winters

The single most important thing is consistency, especially from late fall through early spring when sunlight here is scarce. A great summer does not carry me through a Michigan February. So I treat my daily vitamin D like brushing my teeth: small, unglamorous, and done every day. In a northern, vegan, menopausal life, that steady habit is what actually keeps my levels, my bones, and my mood where I want them.

Sources

• Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
• What Is Menopause?, National Institute on Aging.
• What Do We Know About Healthy Aging?, National Institute on Aging.