Vitamin A (carotenoids, beta-carotene, and retinol) is a fat-soluble vitamin that is one of the 13 essential vitamins identified for optimal health. We are not able to produce this vitamin on our own, so we must get it in the correct dosage with food. Vitamin A plays an important role in numerous functions in many parts of the body - it helps maintain healthy skin, provides better night vision, strong teeth and bone formation, and helps tissues and mucous membranes work properly (to prevent infections). It is also essential for reproduction and breastfeeding. Vitamin A is essential for the formation of healthy epithelial cells and is involved in the digestive, urinary and respiratory functions. Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is important not to exceed the amount consumed so that the body does not have excess reserves of vitamin A. However, it should be noted that excess consumption is rare.
In addition, vitamin A is an antioxidant, that is, a chemical that helps reduce the risk of cancers, especially those associated with epithelial cells such as skin, lungs, stomach, mouth, pancreas, cervix, etc. Without enough vitamin A in your diet, you are more likely to develop vision problems and infectious diseases. This deficiency is estimated to affect about a third of children under the age of five worldwide, resulting in vision problems, blindness and an increased susceptibility to childhood illnesses such as measles. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) has a clear goal of eliminating the deficiency of this micronutrient.
This vitamin is found in large amounts in healthy foods. If you are not sure if you know how you can increase your natural sources of vitamin A in your diet, then now is the right time to refresh your knowledge.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Essential Vitamin A Consumption
Find out a little about how vitamin A is supplied. Vitamin A comes in two flavors, namely retinol (found in animal products) and beta-carotene (found in plant foods). Beta-carotene is considered slightly more nutritious than retinol as it has antioxidant properties and may help lower bad cholesterol, although its bioavailability has been questioned in more recent studies. An important difference is that beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in your body when needed, which means it cannot be a source of vitamin A toxicity (although if there are a lot of orange plant foods, they can slightly tint your skin orange). On the other hand, natural sources of retinol and synthetic forms of vitamin A can become toxic if consumed too much. Pay attention to the daily limit for natural forms of retinol or essential vitamin A (synthetic forms of vitamin A). The amount of vitamin A you need, which must not be exceeded, is measured in units called IU - international units or micrograms (abbreviated as mcg). 1 IU is the biological equivalent of 0.3 μg retinol or 0.6 μg beta-carotene. If children consume more than 10,000 IU per day for several months, it can be toxic to their body. For adults, more than 25,000 IU in the same period of time can also be harmful. Depending on age and gender, you need a different amount of vitamin A, namely: {| class = "wikitable" | -! Life Cycle Group! Recommended daily allowance
Usage rate
mcg / day! Upper limit
mcg / day | - | Babies 0-6 months
7-12 months |
400*
500*|
600
600|-| Children 1-3 years
4-8 years old |
300
400|
600
900|-| Men9-13 years old
14-18 years old
19 -> 70 years old |
600
900
900|
1700
2800
3000|-| Women9-13 years old
14-18 years old
19 -> 70 years old |
600
700
700|
1700
2800
3000|-| Pregnancy <19 years old
19 -> 50 years old |
750
770|
2800
3000|-| Lactation <19 years old
19 -> 50 years old |
1200
1300|
2800
3000|}
Part 2 of 2: Getting Adequate Vitamin A in Your Diet
Step 1. Start young
If you are pregnant or planning to breastfeed, get all the support you need to continue breastfeeding effectively in the first months of your baby's life. Breast milk is a natural source of vitamin A and is a very important means of ensuring adequate vitamin A levels in a baby.
See warnings below - pregnant women should not take synthetic vitamin A as it can harm the fetus
Step 2. Eat a variety of vegetables
Vegetables are an important source of vitamin A and the fresher they are, the better. Most orange-yellow-red vegetables contain vitamin A, such as courgettes, red peppers, and pumpkin. In addition, dark green vegetables and lettuce are sources of vitamin A. Here are just a few good reasons to include more vegetables in your diet as a source of vitamin A:
- Dark greens - kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, spinach and turnips are rich in vitamin A as well as calcium. Garden cabbage, with the highest amount of vitamin A, provides 15,376 IU in 100 grams and 10,302 IU in a 220 ml cup. Celery and peas also contain vitamin A.
- Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, especially when raw. 16706 IU in 100 grams of carrots, and 2069 IU of vitamin A in one young carrot. If you eat grated carrots, add some chopped tomatoes to it and sprinkle it with safflower oil, then vitamin A will bring maximum benefit, because the presence of a small amount of fat increases the bioavailability of the vitamin.
- Sweet Potato - Because of its orange color, it contains 19,218 IU of vitamin A per 100 grams, which is 21,909 IU in an average sweet potato.
- Nori - Approximately 30 grams of nori will provide you with 1,500 IU of vitamin A, which is about 3 percent of the DV. Nori is also known as laver. This sea vegetable is sold as dried leaves, often wrapped in sushi, added to Asian soups or pastas and salads to enhance the flavor.
Step 3. Eat orange, red and yellow fruits
Orange, red, and yellow fruits such as mango, grapefruit, melon, peaches, apricots, and papaya are rich in vitamin A. These orange fruits contain 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin A, for example, tangerines contain 1,037 IU, or about 20 percent daily requirement. Eat one piece of this fruit daily for vitamin A. You can make a fruit salad with all of your favorite fruits on this list, eat them whole, or snack on melon balls. Orange fruits are not only a great source of vitamin A, but they are delicious too!
Step 4. Add animal food sources to your diet
Animal products provide the body with a "retinol" form of vitamin A. This is a form that can cause overdose, so you need to be careful when consuming foods containing this vitamin A. For example, the turkey liver with the highest amount of vitamin A contains a whopping 75333 IU per 100 grams! Since an adult should never consume more than 25,000 IU of vitamin A per day, such foods rich in vitamin A should be reduced in accordance with the daily requirement. Many other animal livers contain vitamin A, for example, one tablespoon of pâté contains 429 IU of vitamin A.
Other sources of animal-based vitamin A include fish, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, and margarine (the latter is not always animal-based, but is often fortified with this vitamin)
Step 5. Take vitamin A supplements, but only if your doctor has determined that you need them
Remember that the body absorbs vitamins most efficiently from food. Sometimes it may be necessary to consume vitamin A-rich foods or vitamin A supplements to reduce a diagnosed vitamin A deficiency. Do not try to diagnose it yourself or take vitamin A supplements without consulting your doctor, as there is a high risk of overdose, which is fraught with many complications. Check with your doctor first and stick to their recommended dosages and the supplier (brand) of vitamin A supplements that they believe will be most effective.
- Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency (rare) may include: dryness of the conjunctiva and cornea, frequent colds, insomnia, night blindness, reproductive difficulties, and respiratory infections.
- Symptoms of a vitamin A overdose (hypervitaminosis) may include: abdominal pain, dry skin, itching, enlarged liver or spleen, amenorrhea, hair loss, headaches, joint pain, nausea, vision problems, and vomiting
Advice
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Here are some more tips for increasing the amount of vitamin A in your diet:
- A fruit salad or dessert for breakfast is a healthy and delicious way to start your day with vitamin A! Enjoy all your favorite orange fruits.
- If you don't like the liver, use fish instead. You can steam the liver with onions or herbs if you want to eat the liver and still do it. improve its taste.
- Eggs are a great breakfast choice as they contain vitamin A.
- Milk contains vitamin A as well as calcium.
- If you consume too much beta-carotene, then your skin will turn orange, do not eat these vegetables for several days to return to normal.
- As a general rule, the richer the color of the plant food, the more vitamin A it contains.
- The reason the liver is such a powerful (and potentially toxic) source of vitamin A is because of its ability to retain enough vitamin A for 10 months!
- Did you know that the liver of some animals contains extremely high amounts of vitamin A? In 1913, Antarctic explorers, Mawson and Merz, were poisoned as they tried to survive by eating the livers of their sled dogs (Merz died).
Warnings
- Cod liver oil should not be taken daily due to its high vitamin A content, some types provide about 13,000 IU of vitamin A.
- Never change your diet without consulting your doctor. He will advise you on what vitamins you need.
- If you are taking a vitamin, read the label. Make sure it doesn't contain more than 10,000 IU, although thankfully this is unlikely. But God protects those who are saved.
- Too much vitamin A can lead to loss of appetite, dizziness, headaches, dry and itchy skin, hair loss, blurred vision, and decreased bone mineral density. In severe cases of vitamin A overdose, liver damage can occur. In the case of the fetus, too much vitamin A can cause serious birth defects; Pregnant women should not exceed 5,000 IU daily vitamin A supplements. In fact, it is best if pregnant women do not take vitamin A supplements at all, as there is a real risk of vitamin A-induced birth defects.