This Is the Vitamin Your Body May Be Missing When Your Legs and Bones Hurt

Leg or bone pain can have many different causes, so there isn’t one vitamin that is always responsible. However, vitamin D deficiency is one nutritional deficiency that can contribute to bone and muscle pain, weakness, and tenderness.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and is important for maintaining healthy bones and muscles.

Vitamin D-Rich Foods

You can get vitamin D from foods such as:

• Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna
• Egg yolks
• Fortified milk
• Fortified cereals
• Fortified plant-based milk
• Some mushrooms

Sunlight also helps the body produce vitamin D.

Simple Vitamin D Recipe

Vitamin D Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fortified yogurt
• 1 boiled egg, chopped
• ½ cup fortified cereal
• 1 tablespoon chopped almonds
• ½ cup fresh berries
• 1 teaspoon honey, optional

Directions

1. Add the yogurt to a bowl.
2. Top with fortified cereal and chopped almonds.
3. Add the chopped boiled egg and fresh berries.
4. Drizzle with honey if desired.
5. Enjoy as a nutritious breakfast.

Important

Don’t assume leg or bone pain means you have a vitamin D deficiency. A blood test can determine whether your vitamin D level is low. Excessive vitamin D supplementation can also be harmful, so avoid taking high doses unless recommended by a healthcare professional.

If bone or leg pain is persistent, severe, associated with swelling or weakness, or unexplained, it’s best to have it evaluated rather than treating it with vitamins alone.