8 best vitamin D supplements to help boost your health and immunity

They say good things come in small packages, and this supplement proves that. Inside this compact, letterbox-friendly foil bag – which uses less plastic than conventional pill bottles – are 180 tiny tablets measuring 6mm, each delivering a high-quality 1,000IU vitamin D hit. They are incredibly easy to swallow and leave no aftertaste, so they are perfect for anyone who struggles to take pills without gagging. Perhaps best of all, though, is the price: this bag for less than £4 is equivalent to a six-month supply of vitamin D and will easily get you through autumn and winter.

Many supplements contain milk, come in gelatine capsules or have been tested on animals, so we wanted to include something that is suitable for vegans. The Nature’s Own vitamin D3 is cruelty-free and takes the nutrient from lichen extract. Our tester found the one-a-day tablets easy to swallow and liked that they are free from GMO, gluten and yeast. There are 60 pills in each bottle, giving you a two-month supply.

A liquid supplement like this is an effortless way to take vitamins. This one requires only one drop daily, so it really couldn’t be simpler or quicker to make sure you’re getting all the vitamin D you need throughout autumn and winter. It is recommended that you consume this supplement with a meal, so you could keep it near your cereal to remind you to take it with your breakfast. Each bottle contains a two-month supply and does not need to be refrigerated for easy storage.

Combining multiple vitamins and minerals in one product is one of the easiest ways to introduce convenience to your supplement routine. Aguulp is the result of a celeb collaboration – the brand was founded by Stephen Manderson (AKA Professor Green), SAS soldier Kevin Godlington, and special forces sergeant and TV presenter Jason Fox – and aims to be an antidote to our common problems.

For immunity is, you guessed it, to help support our immune systems. It contains 1,000IU vitamin D3, but also decent levels of vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, C and E. As well as all that it has omega-3 from fish oils and elderberry plant extract, which is said to help protect against colds and flu.

To take, simply gulp down the liquid in the sachet, which is orange flavoured. It does have a hint of fish, but our tester found that storing it in the fridge and taking the supplement cold almost eliminated that. This is a pricey supplement, but it could save you money in the long run as you would no longer need to buy the other vitamins included. There’s also a subscription option is available, which will save you £5 a month.

People with certain conditions, multiple sclerosis, for example, may need to take significantly higher than usual doses of vitamin D all year round. This supplement is ideal for those people. It contains 3,000IU of vitamin D3 that is delivered daily with three sprays under the tongue at any time of day – a bottle contains 35 servings. Our tester found it easy to use and store, and liked that a subscription service is available, so you never run out and save £3 each month. We would recommend speaking with your GP before starting this supplement though, because of its high potency.

The NHS recommends that all children under five years of age take a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the year. But getting your child to take capsules is another matter entirely. That is unless you can give it to them in sweet form – these gummies will undoubtedly do the trick. One of these chewy orange flavoured bears a day provides little ones with the recommended 10 micrograms of vitamin D, plus they’ll look forward to taking them – our young tester tells us that they are yummy.

Taking a daily supplement can generate a lot of plastic waste over the years, but Dr Vegan has a solution to help limit your impact on the planet. These plant-based vitamins come in plastic-free, compostable packaging and can be stored in your special refillable Dr Vegan pill tin to keep them fresh. The daily supplement itself is vegan, easy to swallow, halal, and gluten, dairy and lactose-free, making them suitable for pretty much everyone.

This is a high dose vitamin D, with 2,500IU per pill, so please do check with your clinician that it is suitable for you. It is already a reasonable option, but there is an offer that means you can buy three packets and only pay for two, while a subscription service saves you 15 per cent.