Daily Rituals
Vitamin D in autumn and winter: what UK women are advised to do
The clocks have changed, the sun is lower, and NHS advice is to consider a small daily supplement. Here is what that means in practice.
Part of our guide to meal plans for women.
Scope: this article summarises NHS guidance for adults in the United Kingdom, checked on 16 October 2026. Recommendations in other countries differ, and it is general information, not advice for your individual circumstances.
The short answer.
The NHS says adults and children from the age of one need 10 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a day, which is the same as 400 IU. Between about late March or early April and the end of September, most people can make enough vitamin D from sunlight on their skin. In autumn and winter that stops, so the NHS advises that everyone should consider taking a daily supplement during those months. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are included in that advice.
Who is advised to take it all year.
The NHS says some people should consider a supplement all year round because they are at risk of deficiency. These include:
- People who are rarely outdoors, for example those who are frail, housebound or living in a care home.
- People who usually cover most of their skin when outdoors.
- People with dark skin, for example those of African, African-Caribbean or South Asian background.
What food can and cannot do.
Food contributes, but the NHS describes it as hard to get enough from diet alone. Sources include oily fish (salmon, sardines, trout, herring, mackerel), red meat, egg yolks and fortified foods such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals. Cows' milk is generally not a good UK source because it is not fortified. Liver is also a source, but the NHS advises avoiding liver if you are pregnant.
A practical routine.
- Choose a plain 10 microgram (400 IU) vitamin D product rather than a high-dose one, unless a clinician has prescribed otherwise.
- Attach it to something you already do daily, such as your morning tea or breakfast, so it becomes automatic.
- Check any multivitamin or pregnancy supplement you take, so you do not double up without realising.
- If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or managing a health condition, ask your midwife, GP or pharmacist which product suits you.
For how vitamin D fits into eating through pregnancy and the months after birth, see our guides to pregnancy nutrition and postpartum nutrition, linked below, and the weekly frameworks on our meal plans page.
Sources & further reading
