Youngsters lack Vitamin-D because they snub Spam, liver, wartime foods

Your grandchildren may be at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency because they don’t eat the foods loved (and loathed!) by Baby Boomers as kids, a new study has found.

New research by Kellogg’s UK, which was published in the Daily Mail, found that because wartime and post-war foods including Spam, offal and beef liver aren’t eaten regularly anymore, people under 30 are missing out on the recommended intake of Vitamin D.

You might remember not being particularly thrilled with these dishes as a kid, but the Kellogg’s research found that eating these kinds of foods can actually increase levels of vitamin D.

While Millennials believe they can get their recommended intake of vitamin D from the sun alone, the study found young adults in Britain were consuming the vitamin at four times less than the recommended level. Furthermore, 20 per cent of adults experience vitamin D deficiency, with the cooler months resulting in people consuming even less vitamin D than recommended because of the reduced sunshine and natural light in the UK.

The study said that just 25 per cent of people under the age of 30 had ever eaten vitamin d-rich foods such as Spam, sardines, kippers and liver. The number for Baby Boomers is much higher, with 75 per cent reporting that they eat these foods. And despite the benefits of eating these dishes, as many as half of Millennials said they still wouldn’t eat them, with 40 per cent adding they would continue to use the sun as their primary source of vitamin D.

Conversely, as many as three in four over-60s also choose to take fish oil tablets to boost their vitamin D levels, while 81 per cent of Millennials don’t believe they need to take them because they believe their diet and sunshine is enough.

When it comes to vitamin D we can't get the levels we need from sunshine in the UK, so we have to look to our diets. Did you know Kellogg’s has increased vitamin D levels in Corn Flakes, Coco Pops, Rice Krispies and Frosties to 50% of your daily needs (NRV). #KelloggsBetterStarts pic.twitter.com/NNiIiEIly0

— Kellogg's UK & IRE (@KelloggsUKI) March 21, 2018

British kids Vitamin D intake is two times below the recommended level (SACN) but only 14% of parents purposely pick foods high in vitamin D. This is why we have increased it in our cereal. #KelloggsBetterStarts

— Kellogg's UK & IRE (@KelloggsUKI) March 21, 2018

To help tackle the problem, Kellogg’s UK plans to increase the levels of vitamin D in a range of its cereals and products so customers are consuming 50 per cent of their recommended intake of vitamin D in one sitting. In addition to this, the company’s study recommends that eating an array of old-school dishes, including fish paste, cod liver oil, beef liver, herring, pilchards, offal, sardines, kippers, spam and jellied eels to boost vitamin D levels.

Other vitamin D-rich foods include fatty fishes such as tuna, salmon and mackerel, cheeses, egg yolks, cereals and even orange juice.

Read more: How Vitamin D can prevent the onset of painful arthritis

Vitamin D is vital as it assists the body in developing strong bones. Common side effects of vitamin D deficiency can include depression, hair loss, pain in the muscles, back and bones, fatigue and an increased chance of illness and infection.

Starts at 60 has reached out to Kellogg’s UK for comment.

Do you still eat foods such as Spam, liver and sardines? Did you feed them to your children?