Vitamin A is used by your body in a variety of ways. Most people tend to think of Vitamin A as the "vision vitamin". It's what keeps your eyes healthy. Even Bugs Bunny would joke about eating his carrots to help with his eyes - and he was right.
In addition to the eyes, vitamin A is also used by cells in general to grow properly. The heart, lungs, and other organs all depend on this important vitamin. Your skin looks far more healthy with ample Vitamin A.
In vegetables, Vitamin A is found as beta-carotene. This is part of why it's so important to eat your veggies!
Women should get about 700 mcg RAE, while men should get about 900 mcg RAE a day. This of course depends on your shape, size, and other factors.
Here's a few of the top foods to watch for:
1 serving spinach: 573 mcg RAE
1 serving carrots: 459 mcg RAE
1 serving red pepper: 117 mcg RAE
You can see why I adore smoothies! Toss in a serving of spinach, one of carrots, and any other flavors you wish. Voila, you've got your Vitamin A requirement all set for the day.
You can also add kale, collard greens, and dandelion greens into your diet.
If you enjoy beef liver or herring, you can get Vitamin A from those. Otherwise you can get small amounts from things like milk, egg, salmon, and so on.
Parents who force-fed their kids cod liver oil had something right. The stuff is absolutely packed with Vitamin A. So if you don't mind the flavor, that's also an option for you.
If you have a spinach salad every day, or a spinach smoothie, you're pretty set. If you're not eating those top veggies in enough quantity on a daily basis, it's a good idea to take a multivitamin to ensure you get ample Vitamin A into your system each day.
If you're low on Vitamin A it can cause serious vision problems and even blindness.
Be sure to look into ways to get ample Vitamin A into your daily diet!
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