The Best Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an important vitamin for the human body. Vitamin A is stored in your liver and it provides your body with many benefits.

Vitamin A will help keep your teeth healthy and strong, keep your eyes and vision functioning properly, can lower your risk of certain cancers, can boost your immune function, keep your skin clear from acne, and support your overall bone health.

Vitamin A works to preserve your eyesight as you age. It can help stop night blindness and keep your eye’s ability to pick up on lower light levels when it is dark outside.

Vitamin A can help protect you from developing cancers like Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cervical cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. Although we do not fully understand why this is, it is worth including in your diet for its potential cancer fighting properties.

A healthy immune system is important to maintain, and vitamin A can play a role in keeping it that way. Vitamin A plays a role in the production of white blood cells. White blood cells are able to trap and wash away bacteria and pathogens that make their way into your bloodstream. This action keeps you from getting sick. If you have low vitamin A levels you can get sick more often, but it can also hinder your ability to recover from illness quickly and efficiently.

if you suffer from acne and nothing seems to work to clear away pesky blemishes, trying vitamin A may do the trick. It is still unclear, but this vitamin may help keep your body from overproducing protein keratin located in your hair follicles.

Not that we know some of the potential health benefits of including more vitamin A into your diet, we will go over some of the best sources of vitamin A!

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are inexpensive, readily available almost everywhere, and delicious. They can be prepared in so many ways and incorporated into muffins, breads, pies, baked fries, chips, roasted, and so much more. Eating the sweet potato with the skin will provide even more fiber and nutrients. The vitamin A comes from the beta carotene in the potato.

Carrots

Carrots also contain lots of beta carotene, are low in calories, and are easily eaten raw as a snack. Carrots are also very inexpensive and available everywhere. Dip in hummus or guacamole for a nutrient-dense, high vitamin A snack.

Black-eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas contain high levels of plant-based protein, fiber, and a surprising amount of vitamin A. you can mash them into a dip or put them on salads or in soups and stews.

Spinach

This leafy green is mild in flavor and can also be used in so many different recipes. Cooked spinach has more vitamin A, so put it in soup, wilt it with whole grain pasta, or simply sauté it with olive oil and garlic for a super quick and easy side dish.

Broccoli

Broccoli contains lots of vitamin A, K, and C. it can help boost your immune system and protect your body against some cancers. Roasted, steamed, or sautéed broccoli are the best ways to consume this tasty veggie.

Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are sweet, crunchy, and contains almost half your vitamin A intake I one serving. It is very low in calories and versatile. They also have high levels of antioxidants. You can put them in cooked dished, salads, on a sandwich, or simply eaten raw dipped in a tasty homemade dip.

Mango

Mangos are one of the yummiest tropical fruits and luckily, they contain high levels of vitamin A. Mangos are perfect eating plain, but they also do well in smoothies, a mango salsa, and salads.

Cantaloupe

Another sweet, yummy, and inexpensive fruit, this melon is a great way to get your vitamin A fix. Eat it on its own or put it in a smoothie.

Dried Apricots

Dried apricots are a sweet chewy snack perfect for on-the-go. They do have lots of vitamin A, but they are also a lot higher in sugar and calories since they are dried. Make sure you are consuming them in moderation and not eating an entire bag of dried apricots in one sitting.

Pumpkin

Canned and fresh pumpkin contains loads of vitamin A, fiber, and many more benefits. Pumpkin is perfect to bake into a health pumpkin pie!