Making sure your body is efficiently running is an important daily task.
Foods that are rich in vitamin A can be very beneficial and a variety of them are available for proper nutrition.
According to Netdoctor, vitamin A is important for taste, eyesight, growth, and appetite.
When thinking of foods rich in vitamin A, most people will immediately think of carrots or other yellow-orange foods, but the truth is that that there are several foods that contain vitamin A.
For those who aren’t sure how much vitamin A they’re receiving in their daily diets, supplements may be useful.
Remember to keep in mind that supplementation of any kind is not enough for your overall health and fitness needs. Exercise is important. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, and more.
What Are the Different Types of Foods That Contain Vitamin A?
One of the foods most known for having vitamin A is carrots. With just a single serving of carrots (large, raw carrot) you can get over 300% of your daily vitamin A needs (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).
Liver is another great resource in the consumption of vitamin A. While some might not find it satisfying, liver offers the most bang per bite in terms of vitamin A consumption.
With liver (almost any animal kind) you get over 1000% of your daily Recommended Daily/Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin A. A single serving (one tablespoon) of pâté will give you 9% RDA of vitamin A.
Another great source of vitamin A comes in the form of a spice. Red pepper, cayenne, paprika and chili powder all have large quantities of vitamin A. A single serving of any of these spices can have up to 74% of your RDA of vitamin A.
While carrots often are the popular choice when looking to increase your vitamin A consumption, there’s another vegetable that gives you even more. Sweet potatoes have even more vitamin A per serving than carrots. With a medium-sized sweet potato, you get 438% RDA.
Fruit apricot is another great food packed with vitamin A. With 94% RDA per cup of dried apricot, this fruit can give you what you need in terms of vitamin A consumption. Dried apricots aren’t very large in size, but one dried apricot will give you 6% RDA.
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Why Is Vitamin A Important?
Vitamin A benefits the body in different ways. Vitamin A is very important for a person’s vision, especially night vision. That’s why growing up everyone always told us to eat our carrots so we could see well.
One of the leading causes of blindness on a national level is vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A is also essential for growth, reproduction, skin cell regeneration, and immune system proper functioning.
Vitamin A is very important for your immune system because it keeps your mucous membranes healthy while also keeping the immune system functioning. Keeping the mucous membranes moist will help to trap and remove viruses and bacteria. Viruses also drawback under the presence of vitamin A.
Believe it or not, vitamin A may also fight cancer. There is evidence to show that vitamin A inhibits the growth of cancer cell DNA.
There have been several studies that conclude certain cancers grow more slowly in a body rich with vitamin A. For those with skin cancers or liver spots, using a topical vitamin A cream helps to lighten and treat those problems.
What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough Vitamin A?
One of the major signs of vitamin A deficiency is the loss of night vision. Also, because vitamin A helps with skin regeneration, your skin will show signs of a deficiency as well.
A person’s immune system will not respond properly if they have a vitamin A deficiency. This leaves them vulnerable to more infections and viruses.
It is important to know how much vitamin A you should take so you can avoid being deficient.
And remember that keeping your body in tip-top shape is important alongside a healthy diet full of vitamin-rich foods. If you need an exercise routine, look no further. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, goal trackers, and more!