I Live in Portland and My Vitamin D Levels Are a Disaster: Here’s the Solution

I’m writing this from a coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, where, as I write, it’s raining (shocking!). If you’ve watched Portlandia or know anything about my favorite place in the country, unexpectedly, this isn’t unusual. What’s unusual is that I’ve spent the better part of the last decade convincing myself that the four weeks of sunshine we get each summer are probably enough to keep my vitamin D levels at a reasonable level. Reader, they are not.

According to Brooklyn founder Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN Maya Feller Nutrition and author of Eat our rootsvitamin D deficiency is estimated to affect up to 75 percent of adults — and that figure holds true even for people who describe themselves as health-conscious, loving the outdoors, and doing everything right. Signs that you’re low on energy are easy to dismiss as something else. Fatigue. Bad mood. A general feeling of running on empty that you attribute to your schedule, your sleep, your stress – anything but a nutrient your body is supposed to produce from sunlight.

We asked Feller to tell us what’s really going on and what we can do about it.

Why is vitamin D deficiency so common?

The short answer is that the system we rely on to produce vitamin D is more fragile than most people think. “Vitamin D is synthesized subcutaneously via the skin,” explains Feller. “The sun’s UVB rays trigger a reaction in which the skin produces vitamin D, but depending on the amount of melanin present in a person’s skin, this process can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes when the skin is exposed to the sun.” Add to that the fact that most of us wear sunscreen, spend the majority of our daylight hours indoors, and live far enough from the equator that UVB rays are weakened for months — and the math starts to work against you.

Food is not a reliable backup. Vitamin D occurs naturally in a fairly short list of foods (egg yolks, salmon, liver, some mushrooms) and fortified options like milk and cereal rarely contain enough to make a difference on their own. “These foods tend to be underconsumed,” notes Feller, “and therefore do not have a significant impact on vitamin D levels.”

Sorry to write this, but some people also start at a disadvantage. Feller identifies several groups at higher risk: people with liver disease (since the liver is involved in vitamin D metabolism), those with gastrointestinal disorders or malabsorption disorders, people with darker skin living in northern regions or far from the equator, and anyone who spends long periods indoors. If you fall into more than one of these categories — or if you live in a place with, say, four weeks of reliable sunshine a year — it’s worth paying attention.

How do you know if you are weak?

The frustrating thing about vitamin D deficiency is that its symptoms are exactly what you would explain. Feller points to increased susceptibility to illness as one of the most telltale signs: Adequate vitamin D is needed to support immune function, so if you catch whatever’s going on, it’s worth noting. Low mood and fatigue are also common indicators, especially easy to attribute to anything but a nutritional deficiency. People with low levels of vitamin D are at higher risk of depression, and over time, chronically low levels can affect bone health in ways that worsen for years before becoming evident.

What Vitamin D Really Does (Beyond Bone Health)

Bone health is the benefit most people associate with vitamin D — and it’s real — but it’s also the least surprising thing on the list. The more interesting case is what happens everywhere else.

The mood is one worth leading with. “Low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety,” says Feller. “It is believed that this deficiency may worsen symptoms.” This is an area where the research is suggestive rather than definitive (vitamin D is not a treatment for depression), but the association is consistent enough that Feller considers safe supplementation worth discussing for people with anxiety or depression.

Beyond mood, adequate vitamin D supports immune function, helps regulate calcium absorption, and helps reduce inflammation. Research into its broader disease-prevention potential—cardiovascular health, certain cancers, cognitive functions—is still developing, and Feller is cautious about where the evidence is strong and where it’s overstated. Vitamin D is necessary, its deficiency has real downstream effects, and getting enough is a reasonable baseline priority.

How to get more vitamin D

The three sources are sun, food and supplements, and they are not interchangeable. “Vitamin D treatment depends on a number of factors, including the individual’s baseline health and their ability to absorb vitamin D from foods and supplements,” says Feller. What works for one person may not make a difference for another, which is part of the reason why deficiencies are so persistent, even among people who think they’re covering their bases.

Sun

The most effective source, when available. According to Harvard Healththe general advice is:

• Aim for about 10 to 15 minutes of direct sun exposure on the arms and legs, ideally around midday when UVB rays are most intense.
• Avoid SPF for this window: sunscreen blocks UVB rays and significantly reduces vitamin D synthesis.

Food

For people who eat animal products, Feller recommends egg, salmon, liver, and fish liver oils as a starting point. “People can safely consume one egg per day, seafood twice per week, and two ounces of liver per week as functional therapy,” she says. For plant-based consumers, the options are more limited:

• UV-exposed fungi are the main natural source
• Enriched plant milks and cereals offer complementary options, but are rarely sufficient to correct a deficiency on their own.

Supplements

This is where most people end up and where the most common mistakes occur. Feller’s advice:

• Don’t take a supplement without first knowing your baseline levels
• Follow up with lab work to confirm the plan is working
• Look for D3 (cholecalciferol) rather than D2: this is the form that the body produces naturally and absorbs more efficiently.
• Third-party quality labels (USP, NSF or Informed Sport) are worth looking for on the label

A note on testing and dosing

If the symptoms sound familiar, the test is simple. “Laboratory tests are mostly accurate and quite reliable,” says Feller. Ask your doctor about including a vitamin D test in your next annual blood test. It’s a simple addition, covered by most insurance, and knowing your baseline changes everything in how you approach supplementation.

According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplementsthe recommended daily intake is 600 IU for most adults up to age 70 and 800 IU for those over age 70, with higher amounts sometimes recommended for those managing a deficiency. But because vitamin D is fat-soluble and accumulates in the body, more isn’t always better. A healthcare professional can help you find the right number for your specific levels and circumstances.

Takeaways

Vitamin D is not a wellness trend. It is not a temporary supplement, nor a nutrient rebranded for a new audience. It’s fundamental: the kind of thing that works in the background, supporting the systems that make everything else work better. Getting enough is one of the small adjustments you can make with one of the longest gains. Even if you live somewhere, it is currently raining as I write to you.

This article was last updated on June 30, 2026 to include new information.

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