20 Vitamin A Rich Foods To Put On Your Plate Today

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, plays an essential role in vision health, strengthening the immune system, reproductive functions and the growth of various organs, including teeth, skin and hair.

By stimulating collagen production, acting on cell renewal and having antioxidant properties, this vitamin offers benefits in combating acne and premature aging, being widely used in cosmetic products.

In addition, because of its ability to attenuate the damage caused by free radicals that oxidize cellular DNA, vitamin A plays an important role in combating various cancers.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin A is 900 micrograms (mcg) for men, 700 mcg for women and 300 to 600 mcg for children and adolescents. Learn how you can get it from food:

10 Vitamin A-Rich Animal Foods

Vitamin A itself is found only in animal foods such as liver, fish oil and butter, which are listed below. If you follow a vegan diet, be aware that you can get precursors of this vitamin from the vegetables, which are listed in the next topic.

Read also: Vitamin B6: What are your health benefits and where to find it

Food order was defined according to the percentage of recommended daily intake (RD) provided by an average portion of the food. That way you can more easily calculate what you need to put on your plate to maintain healthy levels of this nutrient.

1. Cattle Liver Steak: an average portion provides 713% of DR (6,421 mcg);
2. Cod liver oil: 1 tsp provides 150% of DR (1,350 mcg);
3. Salmon: half a fillet provides 25% of DR (229 mcg);
4. Tuna fish: a quarter of the can provides 24% of DR (214 mcg);
5. Goat cheese: one slice provides 13% of DR (115 mcg);
6. butter: one tablespoon provides 11% of DR (97 mcg);
7. Cheddar cheese: one slice provides 10% of DR (92 mcg);
8. Minas cheese: one slice provides 8.5% of DR (80 mcg);
9. Boiled eggs: A large unit provides 8% of the DR (74 mcg);
10. Cream cheese: one tablespoon provides 5% DR (45 mcg);

In general, the foods on this list are very caloric, so it is interesting to have a balance between them and the following vegetable options.

10 Provitamin A-rich plant foods

Although plant foods do not provide ready-made vitamin A, they are rich in carotenoids of the alpha-carotene and beta-carotene type, which are known as provitamin A. When we eat these substances through food, our bodies are able to turn them into vitamin A itself.

However, it is estimated that 45% of the population has a genetic mutation that significantly reduces the ability to convert these precursor carotenoids to vitamin A itself (1, 2). Thus, for these people, eating only plant foods may not be sufficient to maintain levels of this vitamin in the body.

The order of foods on the list was defined as the percentage of the recommended daily intake (RD) provided by an average portion, always considering an organism fully capable of transforming provitamin A into vitamin A:

Also read: 20 Vitamin K Rich Foods to Ensure Your Daily Dosage

1. Baked Sweet Potatoes: one cup provides 204% of DR (1,836 mcg);
2. Moganga Pumpkin: one cup provides 127% of DR (1,144 mcg);
3. Boiled cabbage: one cup provides 98% of DR (885 mcg);
4. Cauliflower: one cup provides 80% of DR (722 mcg);
5. Raw carrot: an average unit provides 64% of DR (577 mcg);
6. Cooked carrot: an average unit provides 44% of DR (392 mcg);
7. Red bell pepper: A large unit provides 29% of DR (257 mcg);
8. Mango: an average unit provides 20% of DR (181 mcg);
9. Cantaloupe Melon: a large slice provides 19% of DR (172 mcg);
10. Grapefruit: an average unit provides 16% of DR (143 mcg);

Remember, organisms that have the genetic mutation will get much smaller amounts of vitamin A from these foods, and you need to get this nutrient from other sources.

Vitamin A Just Right

Vitamin A deficiency and deficiency can cause a number of problems, such as thinning hair, skin lesions, dry eyes, night blindness, and low immunity. However, excess of this vitamin can also be harmful to health, causing dryness in the skin, bone and joint pain and dizziness.

Therefore, before adopting radical changes in your diet or starting vitamin A supplementation, it is always recommended to seek professional advice.

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