Diet Rich in Vitamin A

Overview

Diet rich in Vitamin A has positive impact on our growth and enhancing our immunity. That is why it has been called the “miracle vitamin”. This nutrient has many health benefits: it protects us against cancer and other disease, improves our vision, promotes formation of strong bones, and improves skin condition. Also this vitamin guards us against bacterial, parasitic infections, stroke and heart disease. As you can see this nutrient is extremely important for our health. This is why you have to provide it to your body – you have to think about diet rich in vitamin A. Read this article and find out if you don’t have to change your food habits.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

It all depends on gender and your age. RDA depends on your age and sex. Below you can see what proper dosage of vitamin A is.

Children under 3 – 600 micrograms (2,000 IU) per day.

Children 4-8 years – 900 micrograms (3,000 IU).

Children 9-14 years – 1,700 micrograms (5,666 IU).

Teenagers 14-18 years – 2,800 micrograms (9,333 IU).

Adults after 19 – 3,000 micrograms (10,000 IU).

Lactating or pregnant women under 18 – 2,800 micrograms (9,333 IU).

Lactating or pregnant women after 19 – 3,000 micrograms (10,000 IU).

You should eat as many foods high in vitamin A as you can. However, intake 3,000 micrograms is bordering too high. If you think that your food does not contain enough of vitamin A, you can always choose some supplements. Thanks to multivitamins you will get recommended amount you need.

Foods Rich in Vitamin A

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are packed wit vitamin A. They will give you 19218 IU of this vitamin (384% RDA) per 100 gram serving. Medium size sweet potato contains 21909 IU (438% RDA).

Butternut Squash

Dark orange squash has wonderful sweet and nutty flavor. 100 grams of baked butternut squash will provide you 11155 IU of vitamin A (223% RDA).

Cayenne, Red Pepper, Chili Powder and Paprika

A tablespoon of paprika will give you 3691 IU of this vitamin (74% RDA). Other red peppr powders have quite similar amount.

Liver

The liver of any animals is full of minerals and vitamins and is best prepared fried or steamed with herbs and onions. The liver of most animals provide 1000%+ RDA of vitamin A. The best option is to choose turkey liver – it contains 75333 IU of this vitamin (1507% RDA) per 100 gram serving.

Lettuce

You should know that dark colorful lettuces are the most packed type of lettuce. This is why you should focus on red and green leaf lettuces.

Carrots

A medium sized carrot contains 2069 IU (41% RDA) of vitamin A. 100 grams of raw carrots will give you 16706 IU (334% RDA). Carrots are really great as a snack or cooked.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe just like other orange melons is an excellent source of vitamin A. 100 gram of cantaloupe contains 3382 IU of this vitamin (68% RDA). It means that you can find 2334 IU (47% RDA) in a medium sized wedge.

Dried Herbs

It does not matter what you prepare – try to add a pinch of dried herb as often as possible. Dried parsley, dried basil, dill, oregano and dried marjoram are highly packed in vitamin A (138% to 204% RDA per 100 gram serving).

Dried apricots

100 grams of dried apricots will give you 3604 IU (72% RDA) of vitamin A.

Dark Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens are not only full of vitamin A but also contain a lot of calcium. Add kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, collard and spinach to your diet immediately.

Food Preparation

It is important to know how properly prepare foods to retain vitamin A. You can loose it during cooking, preparation or storage. This is why you should:

Keep vegetables (winter squash and sweet potatoes are exceptions) and fruits refrigerated and covered during storage.

Serve vegetables and fruits raw whenever possible.

Bake or boil meats instead of frying and steam vegetables.

Wrap Up

Vegetables and fruits are the key to provide recommended amount of vitamin A. Remember that this nutrient is really important to keep your body in good condition. Of course you have to remember about proper dosage. Vitamin A has several benefits – eat foods rich in it and discover all these profits!