What are the Benefits of Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is known as Retinol. Sounds like something to do with our eyes since we all have eye retinas right? Absolutely! Vitamin A is the vitamin that works to keep the retina operating well. The retina in our eyes is what adjusts the light and how we see when entering from outside to inside and vice verse. Vitamin A also helps to keep the skin and the eyes moist. Vitamin A is not a water soluble vitamin like the other vitamins we previously discussed. However, it is a fat soluble vitamin. What this means is that it stores in the fat tissues of the body for a few days or even up to six months. If too much fat soluble stores in the body, it can store into your liver and become unhealthy. So, because of this risk, it is best to get your Vitamin A from foods. This provides little risk if any of Vitamin A overdose.
Which Foods are the A Foods?
Most Vitamin A foods come from animal products, however there are fresh fruits and vegetables that contain beta carotene. The beta carotene is received from a fruit or vegetable and then converts into Vitamin A. Here’s a simple list of foods that are easy to obtain in your local grocery store or Farmer’s Market.
Vitamin A foods include:
Beef liver
Egg yolk
Cheddar cheese
Fortified milk
Beta-carotene foods include:
Sweet potato
Carrots
Pumpkin
Cantaloupe
Broccoli
Apricots
Spinach and collard greens
There are lots of great cooking tips on getting vitamins from food, but the best tip is to juice various fruits and vegetables to ensure you get all the nutrients.
Vitamin A Deficiency or Overdose?
Vitamin A deficiency is rare. However, it is possible and can cause night blindness, eye inflammation, diarrhea and other problems. Too much Vitamin A can cause nausea, irritability and blurred vision but will be a very mild case. In addition, the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet can turn orange if a person has a high intake of Vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity can cause growth retardation, hair loss and enlarged spleen and liver in its more severe form. Vitamin A overdose can also cause birth defects.
So, in closing, we can see that Vitamin A is best obtained by simply eating foods that contain Vitamin A or Beta Carotene. I can personally remember as a child going on a carrot stick kick. And, all the kids would give me their carrots at lunch time. I would eat each and every one because to the other children it was cool. And then, one day I went to the restroom and noticed that my urine was coming out orange. My mother immediately put a stop to the carrot eating escapade.
So, as we stated in our other posts, its better to be safe than sorry. If you feel like you are not getting enough Vitamin A, which is highly unlikely, contact your doctor and get tested for the deficiency. Do not try to self diagnose this vitamin deficiency because in this case less is better and more is harmful.
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Tags: beef liver, egg yolk, eye inflammation, fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables, local grocery store, night blindness, vitamin a benefits, vitamin a deficiency, vitamin a toxicity