Vitamin D is the one nutrient the UK government actually has an opinion about. The advice is unusually direct: consider taking a daily supplement through autumn and winter, because between roughly October and March the sunlight here isn't strong enough for your skin to make any.

Which raises the obvious July question. It's summer. Can you stop?

The official line, and the asterisk attached to it

Broadly, yes — the guidance is that from about late March through to the end of September, most people get what they need from sunlight and diet. Ten to fifteen minutes of midday sun on bare forearms, most days, is the sort of picture that advice is painted around.

Now hold that picture against an actual British summer. A commute that starts and ends indoors. A desk by a window — glass blocks the relevant UVB, so that doesn't count. Lunch eaten at the desk. A fortnight of drizzle in what was meant to be the good week. The advice is sound; it just assumes a summer that lands more reliably than ours does.

Who tends to be caught out between April and September

Public health guidance singles out a few groups who may not get enough even in summer, and it's worth checking whether you're on the list:

• People who are rarely outdoors during the middle of the day — shift workers, office-bound, or anyone whose daylight happens through a window.
• People with darker skin tones, who need longer sun exposure to make the same amount.
• People who cover most of their skin when outside.
• Anyone diligent with high-factor sun cream — which is the right call for skin health, and does reduce production.

There's a mild irony in that last one: two pieces of good advice pulling gently against each other. The resolution isn't to skip the sun cream. It's to get the vitamin D elsewhere.

The food route is thinner than you'd hope

Vitamin D turns up in oily fish, egg yolks, red meat and fortified foods. That's a manageable list if you eat all of it regularly. It's a considerably shorter list if you're vegan — which is precisely why plant-based diets get flagged in this conversation, and why a plant-sourced vitamin D is worth looking for rather than assuming.

So — stop, or carry on?

If you're outdoors properly most days this summer, arms and face uncovered, you're likely fine to pause. If you read the list above and recognised yourself, carrying on through summer is a perfectly reasonable choice rather than a wasteful one.

And a practical note about habits: routines that stop in April are routines that don't restart in October. Plenty of people keep a daily vitamin going year-round simply because the streak is easier to maintain than to rebuild. That's not a nutritional argument, but it's an honest one.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get vitamin D through a window?

No. Ordinary glass filters out the UVB wavelengths your skin needs. A sunny desk feels lovely and does nothing for your vitamin D.

How much vitamin D should I take?

UK guidance points to 10 micrograms a day for most adults considering a supplement. Check the %NRV on whatever you're taking, follow the pack, and don't stack the same nutrient across several products without a look at the labels.

Is vegan vitamin D available?

Yes — it's usually derived from lichen rather than lanolin. Since it isn't the default, it's one to verify on the label rather than assume.

Keeping it simple

If you'd rather not think about it every quarter, vitamin D sits inside our Multivitamin Gummies alongside the rest of the daily basics, and also features in the Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies. Both are zero sugar and Vegan+, as is everything in the vitamins collection.

Either way — if the sun does appear this week, go and stand in it.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.